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Early morning fire renders 5000 homeless in Akwa Ibom fishing community

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Akwa Ibom



An early morning fire outbreak at Iwoukpom community in Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State has razed down no fewer than 2,000 houses and rendered 5,000 people homeless on Friday.

The Nation reports that the cause of the fire could not be ascertained as at press time as properties worth millions have been destroyed in the fishing community mostly occupied by Yoruba fishermen.

Most of the buildings were constructed with wood, increasing the fatality as fishing equipment and fishes were burnt.

It was also not known immediately if lives were lost in the incident.

Loud wailings from victims were heard as they recounted their losses.

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A mother of three, Mrs. Idongesit Udoh, was wept uncontrollably as she narrates how she could not pick anything before the inferno rendered her homeless.

“The entire building was raised completely and I could not pick a pin in the house,” she lamented.

She called on the State Government, spirited individuals, multinational companies and NGOs to come to their rescue, lamenting that she does not have room on her head anymore.

Udoh called on National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to provide relief materials to the affected victims to ameliorate their suffering.

The Vice Chairman, Ibeno local government area, Sunday Isokobo, described the inferno as a “serious disaster”, saying nobody could salvage anything.

About 1 am this morning, I received a call from my brothers and sisters living in this fishing settlement at Iwoukpom, that there is a very serious fire disaster taking place here,” he said.

He explained that the inferno completely razed down a lot of buildings and wooden houses while uncountable fishing equipment worth millions were destroyed in the area.

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Isokobo, however, said that nobody could give the cause of the inferno.

He promised to give relief materials to the affected families to ameliorate the suffering of the victims and called on the state government, oil companies to come to the aid of the affected fire incident.

The Vice Chairman appealed to State Government, Donor Agencies, International Communities among others as a matter of urgency to provide relief materials and camp to affected inferno victims.

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The leader of the Yoruba community, Foli Ogungbemi who is also the Special Adviser to the Chairman of Ibeno on non-indigenes, said most occupants of the community are Yoruba people.

He said that when the incident happened the people were running for their safety and none could really know the root cause of the inferno.

Ogungbemi explained that Iwuokpum is highly populated with Yoruba indigenes and the economic hub of Ibeno.

 

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