Sokoto State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu, has fulfilled his pledge to provide financial assistance to 76 victims of the fire outbreaks at Sokoto Old Market and Central Motor Park to enable them to resume their businesses.
The pledge, made last Friday, 9 October 2026, while receiving the report of a committee set up to investigate the incidents, was fulfilled with the disbursement of N143 million to the 76 traders verified as genuine victims of the fire outbreaks.
Speaking at a brief ceremony to mark the disbursement, the committee’s chairman, Barrister Gandi Umar Muhammad, mni, commended the conduct of the exercise and praised the cooperation demonstrated by the affected traders.
He explained that the financial assistance was not compensation but a gesture of support to help the affected traders revive their businesses.
Barrister Gandi Umar also urged the beneficiaries to continue praying to Almighty Allah to prevent a recurrence of such unfortunate incidents.
According to him, the highest beneficiary received N25 million, while the amounts disbursed to other beneficiaries varied according to the extent of their losses.
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke at the occasion expressed gratitude to Governor Aliyu for the gesture, noting that the financial assistance would go a long way in helping them restart their businesses.
They also pledged their continued support for the Aliyu led administration.
It would be recalled that parts of Sokoto Central Motor Park and the Old Market were gutted by fire in July this year, disrupting commercial activities at the two locations and adversely affecting the livelihoods of traders and other residents who depend on them for their daily income.
In response, Governor Ahmed Aliyu constituted a nine-member committee to investigate the two separate incidents, assess the extent of the damage and determine the number of traders affected.
Following a thorough verification exercise, the committee confirmed that only 76 of the 94 claimants were genuine victims of the fire outbreaks.
Since the inception of the present administration, the Sokoto State Government has extended similar financial assistance to victims of market fire disasters across the state. Notable beneficiaries include mechanics in the Buzaye area and traders at Kara Market, among others.
