Police battling to contain looters at Calabar shopping mall gutted by fire

Men from the Nigeria Police Force in Calabar have been battling to contain shop looters taking advantage of the devastating fire ravaging the SPAR shopping mall.

The Public Relations Officer, PRO, of the state command, ASP Eitokpah Sunday Akata, said the fire may have been caused by an electrical fault.

He said, “Our men have been on the ground since morning when the fire incident happened. We are battling to contain the miscreants and other looters trying to cart away valuable goods salvaged.

“We have been able to fence affected areas to cordon off the miscreants.

“No casualties have been recorded so far.  Properties and goods have been damaged badly. We cannot estimate the extent yet. The cause of the fire may be said to be an electrical fault.”

Many shop owners were very emotional as they watched their shops and goods go up in flames; many wailed uncontrollably while the fire ravaged their goods, which they claimed were in multiple millions of Naira.

Some whose insurance had either expired or was non-existent lamented their loss.

One such shop owner who deals in second-hand merchandise, Orji Alphonsus, said he had hired the shop barely a year ago and had sunk in both loans he obtained and his entire savings

“I am completely ruined, he wailed, my entire savings are gone. How about the loans I obtained from banks to stock up the shop? How will I repay? How should I proceed with life going forward?

“I have a large family and dependants; where do I go from here? Which government will salvage me from this imminent anguish?”

The cause of the inferno which gutted many parts of the expansive mall has not yet been established by the authorities as of Saturday afternoon.

Fire trucks were seen moving to the scene, but it was not certain they had enough resources to cope with the raging inferno.