President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with victims of the Akere Spare Parts Market fire incident in the Olodi-Apapa in the Ajegunle area of Lagos State.
Goods worth millions of naira were destroyed with the lifeless body of a 65-year-old security guard said to have been recovered near the scene of Wednesday’s incident.
Hours after the inferno, the President in a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu, said he “learned with deep sadness the death of a 65-year-old security guard, the loss of personal property and means of livelihood of some hardworking Nigerians at the Akere Spare Parts market”.
Buhari sympathised with the traders and their families who bear the brunt of the unfortunate incident and are at crossroads after the incident.
He is “equally concerned that a similar fire incident occurred at the popular Balogun market a few weeks ago, calling on relevant authorities to take precautions to stem the tide,” the statement added.
The President also commended the Lagos State Fire Service for responding to the incident, salvaging a nearby filling station with a 33,000 litres PMS tanker, amongst other adjoining buildings.
Similarly, the State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu sympathised with the traders who lost their goods.
In a terse statement, the governor said he is shocked by the incident. He also ordered a probe into the fire incident, which emergency workers put out.
Sanwo-Olu urged Lagosians to desist from attributing the unfortunate incident to any political party or its agents, saying those who are struggling to make political gains from the fire are being mischievous.