An early morning fire on Friday destroyed goods worth millions of naira at a double wholesale shop along the Umuohu Okpula Ndume axis of Umuahia Ikot Ekpene road, Abia State.
Speaking to journalists who visited the scene, the shop owner, Mrs Abigail Uzodinma, who could not explain the cause of the inferno, said she was surprised when she received calls that her shop was on fire at about 12 am.
She said after receiving the disturbing call, she wondered what could be the cause in a place where there was no electricity and inflammable materials around.
The victim said the most worrisome, is that she just returned from the market and bought bags of rice, garri, and condiments, adding that she lost over 50 million to the fire, which also razed her double shop.
Mrs Uzodinma who could not hold back her tears, appealed to the Government and good-spirited individuals to come to her aid to enable her to pay debts she has incurred and return to business especially now that the hardship in the country is biting harder.
We gathered that the intervention of the men of the state fire service and residents prevented the fire from escalating to other buildings and wreaking more havoc.
