Traders at the popular Watt Market in Calabar were thrown into mourning on Thursday after a fire outbreak destroyed several shops along Bedwell Street, where motor spare parts, clothing, and rug carpets are sold.
The exact cause of the incident has yet to be officially confirmed, but eyewitnesses alleged that a mentally unstable man living behind the affected shops may have ignited the blaze. The suspect has since been arrested and detained at the Atakpa Police Station, located at the market’s entrance.
One of the affected traders, Abasi Ndefreke, wept as he recounted his ordeal:
“My first shop in Uyo got burnt six years ago. I came to Calabar to start afresh, selling phone accessories from a wheelbarrow for four years before I managed to open this shop. Now I’m back to square one.”
Another footwear dealer, visibly dazed by his losses, muttered: “Everything in my shop is gone. Where do I begin again?”
A resident, who identified himself as Nasiru, said he saw the fire start.
“That mad man usually cooks behind the shops, but this time he used a tyre. The flames got out of control and spread to the shops,” he alleged.
While authorities confirmed the suspect’s arrest, one market official expressed frustration, saying: “Of what use is the arrest? The damage has already been done.”
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