By Aliyu Askira
Kano
Kano state Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has flagged off the clearance of debris from scene of the fire incident at Sabon Gari market in Kano metropolis.
He said 10 graders and over 100 tippers had been deployed to the site to evacuate and dispose of the wreckage, to prevent the spread of diseases from burnt and contaminated objects.
The governor, who was vividly disturbed by the fire outbreak, during which property worth billions of Naira perished, said his administration solicited support of construction firms to provide heavy plants like graders to clear roads within the market, adding that the “work is going smoothly.”
Commiserating with the traders that lost their property in the fire, the governor appealed to them and sympathisers to allow the personnel clearing the debris to do their jobs effectively.
Governor Ganduje noted that the no life was in the fire outbreak, pointing out that the 17 people who sustained various degrees injuries in the incident were taken to hospital and 12 of them were discharged. He assured that state government would foot the medical bills of injured traders.
The governor further assured them that his administration would look into the problems facing the victims in order to cushion their suffering, adding that an appeal fund committee had been constituted to raise money to assist them.
The governor thanked federal government agencies, organisations, security agencies as well as the Kano state Fire Brigade Services for their effort in bringing the fire under control.
Earlier, the state Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Musa Katsina, said immediately the fire started, his men and fire fighters quickly responded to avoid stealing of properties, lamenting that the major challenges faced by the fighters was the temporary structures erected along roads in the market.
He told the governor that so far, over 100 thieves had been apprehended and would be taken to court for prosecution “very soon.”
