Popular furniture market in Biogbolo, a suburb of Yenagoa metropolis, Bayelsa State, has been gutted by fire.
Traders at the market are currently lamenting their losses as goods worth millions of naira were consumed in the inferno that occurred on Sunday.
The fire was said to have been ignited by alleged arsonists over failure to pay some community youths ‘ground breaking money’.
The multi-million naira furniture market is located at the Biogbolo area of the Melford Okilo Expressway in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
Visit to the site of the inferno, which cause has yet to be ascertained, showed that not much was left of the usually busy market, save for burnt furniture and owners who were bemoaning their losses.
Traffic flow on the road was disrupted as vehicles were forced to use one side of the dual-carriage way as the others were loaded with furniture fortunate to be salvaged from the inferno.
Some of the affected persons, who spoke to our correspondent, said they believed the fire was caused by some boys who had earlier threatened to burn down the maeket if some certain demands from the area boys were not met.
One of the shopowners, who spoke on condition of anonymity, lamented his huge loss, saying there were more to the incident.
Another source, who spoke in confidence, claimed that some youths had threatened to burn down the shops if the traders failed to pay what they called “matching ground” money.
The source said: “I saw them setting the place on fire; the boys were five in number. I struggled to secure some of my furniture but I couldn’t because the fire was severe.”
The Local Government Chairman of the Yenagoa City Council, Hon. Nimizuoa Uroupaye, paid an unscheduled visit to the scene to see the level of damage caused by the fire and to sympathize with the victims.
In an interaction with the victims, it was gathered that five boys set the furniture shops on fire around 4.am on Sunday.
The mayor urged the victims not to be afraid, saying that all those involved in the ugly act would be made to face the full wrath of the law,
He, however, called an emergency meeting between the leadership of Biogbolo community and the leadership of traders in his office.