Wednesday, January 22, 2025 - The Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji, has condemned the looting of properties by some criminal elements during the midnight fire outbreak in Igede Ekiti, on Tuesday.
Oyebanji said this in Igede Ekiti during his visit to the spot of the
fire outbreak that engulfed two buildings, comprising six shops and other
residential apartments, promising to investigate the masterminds of the looting
and bring them to justice.
The inferno, which started around 1.30am, razed down two buildings and
destroyed property worth millions of naira before the men of Ekiti State Fore
Services intervened to rescue the situation.
Addressing the victims, Oyebanji, represented by the Deputy Governor,
Monisade Afuye, sympathised with the victims, pledging that the government
would intervene to palliate their sufferings through relief materials.
He, however, expressed gratitude that no life was lost during the
midnight fire that destroyed the two buildings and many shops.
Oyebanji said he suspects the inferno must have been ignited by an
electricity spark caused by high voltage and melting of wires, saying this
makes it expedient for shop owners to always put off their lights at night.
On the reported cases of looting during the midnight fire outbreak, the
governor described the action as an extreme display of wickedness, which he
said shouldn’t occur in an ideal society.
The Governor also visited the palace of Onigede of Igede Ekiti, Oba
James Aladesuru to sympathise with the monarch on the highly painful occurrence
and promised that his government shall swiftly commence enumeration of the
property lost for intervention.
“I want to believe that the fire must have surged from electricity
spark. The government has been crying and warning our people to always off
their lights while not at home. Those who left their shops and refused to off
the lights caused this and it was painful.
“The wires must have melted when the high voltage electricity came
resulting in fire that spread across the two buildings. Try and heed the
government’s advice on how we can effectively use our electricity.
“We sympathize with you. The news about these losses was not pleasurable
to our governor. But we are assuring you that we will intervene.
“The operatives of the Ekiti State Emergency Management Agency will soon
come to do the enumeration of the victims and the estimate of the losses
incurred”.
On the looting, the governor, said: ” I am not really happy that some
people were looting property when they were to help safeguard the situation.
This is bad and wicked. We are going to investigate this and whoever that is
indicted shall be arrested and prosecuted accordingly”, he vowed.
One of the victims, Mr Chinedu Nbamu, appreciated the governor for the
visit, urging that those who looted property should be investigated and
arrested to serve as deterrent to others.
Nbamu, who described the incident as worrisome and painful, added that
no one could ascertain the source of the inferno while debunking the claim that
the fire surged from his multimillion naira shop.
Expressing grief over the occurrence, the Onigede of Igede Ekiti, Oba
James Aladesuru, appreciated the governor for displaying compassion and empathy
at this highly excruciating time for the victims.
The monarch appealed to the government to act swiftly and start offering
the victims palliatives to return to their businesses as quickly as possible.
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