Onitsha market fire: 'I lose my retirement moni afta 30 years of savings'
Retired banker Mrs Nkiru Ukwu save all her moni, open shop for Ochanja market, Onitsha Anambra state wit hopes say she go see moni take feed her five children.
Mrs Ukwu bin work for bank for 30 years before she open business for Ochanja market But dat dream don kpafuka afta serious fire burn down her shop completely on Wednesday, October 17 2019. Di fire bin start afta tanker wey carry petrol fall down come burn Ochanja and Relief markets. Di retired banker wey bin dey in very sad mood, manage follow BBC Pidgin tok. She say, "I buy shop for one of di plaza inside di market wit three million naira, come even stock my shop for dis coming Christmas season wit two million naira. I bin work for bank for thirty years, na my gratuity and savings I take start di business." Some places still dey burn 24 hours afta di fire begin As our tori pesin dey follow Mrs Ukwu dey tok, she break down, begin cry, dey scream say all her gratuity don go like dat. She say she no know wia she go even start from. Very small part of her market still dey come from China and her pikin dey plan to use social media sell am but she say di moni no go too reach anywia. 'Everybodi dey angry' - BBC Igbo reporter Ebere Ekeopara Ebere Ekeopara, our reporter wey dey ground for Onitsha describe how pipo dia dey vex say goment no come to epp dem during di fire and how sadness full everiwia because of di plenti loss of life and property. One man tell Ekeopara say im still dey find im younger brother one day afta di fire, as e no dey ansa im phone. Di man say im call di younger brother wey dey inside di market to comot sharparly, but di response im brother give am say na im wan quick open di safe inside dia shop upstairs so that e go use am buy glue di next week. Di value of di tins wey burn go enter millions of naira Di man say now im now know if im younger hear word to come down or e burn inside fire because nobodi dey pick when e call. Our reporter also hear di tori of one woman wey die inside di fire with her pikin. Right now, e no dey clear how many pipo die as goment officials never confam. Many pipo dey cry, some dey vex and most still dey try understand why fire service no carry water come quench di fire on time And frustration dey build for di minds of pipo wey dey di area of di incident. Our reporter say she visit di upper Iweka fire service wey dem dey tok as na im dey near Ochanja, but e dey under lock and key and staff don run comot. Di pipo tok say dem ready to burn down di fire service office along wit anybody wey show face. Tori be say na poo-poo from two trucks wey dey go on dia own dem kolobi to epp quench one of di fire - as na different different parts of di market bin dey burn.