Fire guts Sokoto building materials market

Building materials worth millions of naira were gutted by fire on Saturday night at the Kara market in Sokoto.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the inferno was said to have started about 10:20 pm.

The cause could not be ascertained.

The fire was said to have been put out about 1 am yesterday by the efforts of officials of the state Fire Service and residents, including the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Alhaji Isa Achida.

Secretary of the Building Materials Sellers Association Alhaji Bello Bibi said hundreds of traders lost their goods.

He said items destroyed included wood, nails, ceilings, paint and carpentry materials.

Bibi solicited the assistance of governments as well as public-spirited individuals.

The secretary called for the strengthening of the capacity of the fire service station at the nearby Sokoto Central Market.

Achida promised that the government would assist the victims.