Fire, in the early hours of Monday, engulfed the Sokoto Central market, while affecting the motorcycle section of the market.
According to an eyewitness, the incident started in the early hours of this morning (Monday), its cause, however, could not be established immediately.
Another eyewitness said that the fire emanated from a dump site close to the motorcycle section.
Speaking to journalists, the chairman of Motorcycles Marketers Association, Shehu Muhammad, said they could not quantify the number of motorcycles destroyed by fire because it was still raging.
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“We cannot quantify the number of motorcycles burnt down by the fire now because the fire is still raging.
“But many people lost their shops along with their motorcycles because they could not come in time as the fire started around 6am.
“But men of the federal and state fire services are currently battling, but I know it will take some time before they can quench it all,” he said.
He, however, appealed to the state government to come to the aid of those who lost their property during the inferno.
Sokoto is a major city located in extreme north-western Nigeria, near the confluence of the Sokoto River and the Rima River. As of 2006, it has a population of over 427,760. Sokoto is the modern-day capital of Sokoto State and was previously the capital of the north-western states.
Modern Sokoto is known for trading sheepskins, cattle hides, leather crafts, kola nuts and goatskins.
It is much known because it houses the seat of the Caliphate. The state’s capital, Sokoto is one of the notable urban places in the country.
Sokoto is also one of the fish producing areas of the country. Thus, a large number of people along the river basin engage in fishing as well.
