In the early hours of Tuesday, tragedy struck at the Kwalema Small Scale Rubber Recycling Industries in Dakata Quarters, Kano.
A raging fire engulfed the market, reducing livelihoods and properties worth millions of naira to ashes.
For many hardworking recyclers and traders, this was not just a market, it was their entire world. Now, that world lies in ruins.
Speaking to Stallion Times, John Cyril, a recycler whose shop was among those consumed by the flames, stood helplessly before the wreckage of his business, his voice heavy with grief.
“I have lost everything here in millions of naira, my only source of income.
“About 10 million naira gone, just like that. I don’t even know what to do now.
“The fire service was not prompt to respond to this fire. But now they are doing their best to save what is left, but most of this market, as you can see, is in ashes,” he lamented.
According to witnesses, the fire started at around 4 a.m. on Tuesday, yet the emergency response was painfully slow.
Ibrahim Aliyu, another trader at the market, fought back tears as he surveyed the charred remains of his shop.
“This fire has destroyed so many shops that I can’t count here.
“Goods and properties worth over a billion naira have been lost,” he said.
“More than 5,000 people depend on this market for their daily bread. This is beyond painful.”
While the exact cause of the fire remains uncertain, Aminu Hassan, a worker at the market, suspected a faulty power connection
“We woke up to this nightmare and are completely shattered. How do we move forward when everything we have worked for is gone?
“The economy is already tough, and now this. How do we even begin to recover?” he lamented.
