Gombi (Adamawa), Jan. 20, 2024 – Fire has destroyed 19 shops housing 1,900 bags of assorted grains in Gombi, Adamawa State.
Gombi is about 123 kilometres north of Yola, the state capital.
Mallam Umar Nyalli, the Secretary of the Grains Market Union, alleged that an unknown smoker triggered the fire by discarding a burning cigarette near a pile of waste materials close to the shops.
“The businesses of the 19 shop owners have been paralyzed. Nothing could be retrieved from their wares.
“We lost bags of maize, groundnuts, guinea corn, sesame seeds, beans, and tamarin fruits to the inferno.”
Nyalli solicited help from governments at all levels and from public-spirited individuals.
Prof. Kaletapwa Farauta, the state Deputy Governor, commiserated with the affected traders, saying the losses were huge. (GBN)
