Traders affected by the recent fire that destroyed a commercial storey building at Computer Village in Ikeja, Lagos State, have appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for financial assistance to mitigate their losses.
DAILY POST reports that goods worth millions of naira were destroyed when the blaze broke out in the early hours of Tuesday at Somoye Street, Ikeja. The building, a hub for dealers in computers and accessories, was completely gutted on its upper floor.
Preliminary investigations suggest the fire was triggered by an electrical surge following the restoration of power. Fortunately, no casualties were recorded.
When DAILY POST visited the site on Wednesday, scavengers were seen searching through debris while affected shop owners looked on helplessly. Traders said they lost almost all their investments, including laptops, cash, and other high-value electronics. They also called for improved fire safety measures in densely populated commercial centres like Computer Village.
One affected trader, Chucks, who had just restocked his shop a day before the incident, described the fire as devastating.
“I’m one of the shop owners badly affected. I just brought in new stock on Monday, and by Tuesday morning, everything was gone. When we got to the scene, we couldn’t access the upper floor. The firefighting equipment was inadequate, and water pressure was too low to pump water upstairs effectively,” he said.
Appealing directly to the governor, he added: “We are asking Governor Sanwo-Olu to assist us with compensation. This isn’t the first time such incidents have occurred. We are taxpayers and we fulfill our obligations. We also urge the state to better equip its fire service. We call on the public to support us in any way possible to help us recover from this disaster, which was not our fault.”
Chucks revealed that none of the traders on the affected floors managed to salvage any items. “There are about 12 traders upstairs and one downstairs, and none of us recovered even a pin. My loss alone is about N130 million, considering the laptops and other gadgets I deal in,” he said.
Another trader, Ebere Chimosor, reported losing goods worth over N10 million and also called for government support. “I do my business here peacefully, and this has nothing to do with tribe. We’re asking the local and state governments to assist. When the fire broke out around 1 a.m., the fire service did their best to limit the damage, otherwise it could have been much worse,” Chimosor said.
The Chairman of Ikeja Local Government Area, Akeem Dauda, later visited the site to assess the damage and sympathize with the affected traders. He assured them of the council’s support and urged business owners to strictly observe safety measures, especially with electrical installations, to prevent future incidents.