May 28, (THEWILL) – A violent thunderstorm has wreaked havoc at the Integrated Building Materials Market in Amegu, a suburb of Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, destroying goods and stalls worth over a billion naira.
Traders said the incident occurred on Monday night following a torrential downpour accompanied by a heavy windstorm, which tore through the market and left widespread destruction in its wake.
Confirming the incident, the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Market Development and Parks, Prof. Nwogo Obasi, described the situation as devastating.
He said the destruction affected a significant number of shops and goods.
Obasi stated, “This morning, the chairman of the Integrated Market called to inform me of the situation, and I came to see things for myself.
“It’s quite pathetic. The storm caused serious havoc. I have documented the damage and will report it to the relevant agencies for necessary intervention.”
He urged traders to adhere to market regulations, particularly by displaying their goods only in designated areas and returning them to stalls at the close of business.
“If you look at the extent of damage, you’ll see that many goods were carelessly left outside. The market buildings were designed with both display space and secure storage in mind. Goods meant for display should be taken in at the end of the day. We pray God restores all they’ve lost as we seek ways to support them,” he added.
President of the Integrated Building Materials Market, Chief Fidelis Onwe, said he received a distress call around 1:00 a.m. from security personnel alerting him to the destruction.
He appealed to the state governor, Francis Nwifuru, to visit the market to assess the extent of the damage, stressing that the market is currently facing multiple challenges requiring urgent government intervention.
Leaders from various sections of the market, including Mgbada Vincent (Secretary of the Aluminum Section), Linus Nwankwo, Uzochukwu Nworie (Chairman of the Building Materials Market), and Udeze Chinonso—who reportedly lost 16 sheets of glass—also appealed to the Ebonyi State Emergency Management Agency (EB-SEMA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for relief.
They lamented that many families had lost their means of livelihood and called for immediate government assistance.
THEWILL reports that the thunderstorm destroyed several structures, including buildings, roofs, bundles of pipes, and other valuable goods.
Sunday Ogbu is a professional journalist with eight - twelve years experience that had worked with various print and online media. Sunday specializes in news reporting with the aim of educating his readers on current social, political and economic occurences within his area of coverage. Sunday is a strong force to work with in the media industry and uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. Sunday is inspired daily by his wife and their four children. In his free time, Sunday likes sight-seeing, reading and discussing issues of societal interest.
