* Police launch probe into suspected arson
An early morning fire has razed a spare parts market in Akere, Olodi-Apapa area of Lagos State, destroying wares worth millions of naira.
While the cause of the incident was yet to be ascertained, a male adult was recovered dead around the scene suspected to have died from a gunshot injury.
Witnesses at the scene said the inferno started at about 3am on Wednesday.
Director of Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, who confirmed the incident, said firefighters responded promptly to contain the raging fire and prevented it from spreading wild.
Adeseye said: “At about 03:28 Wednesday wee hours, a fire outbreak was alerted to Akere Spare Parts Market, Kirikiri Road, Akere Bus Stop, Olodi-Apapa, Ajegunle, Lagos that saw the Ajegunle Fire Station of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service as the first respondent.
“Upon arrival, it was discovered that rows of shops that traded in auto spare parts were engulfed in fire that led to Sari-Iganmu and Ilupeju Fire Crews of the Agency joining up to subdue the raging fire and salvage a nearby major market Petroleum Filling Station with a fully loaded 33,000 litres PMS tanker among other adjoining buildings.
“However, a male adult was recovered by the Tolu Police Division around the scene and reported death from a gunshot injury as he did not suffer any traces of burns while the Lagos Neighborhood and Safety Corps and the Red Cross were also in attendance.
“The cause of the fire is suspicious and will require detailed investigation to be ascertained as well as post-incident enumeration to account for the number of lockup shops and wares lost.”
Meanwhile, the Police in Lagos have commenced an investigation into suspected arson at the spare parts market.
The police spokesman in Lagos, Benjamin Hundeyin, said though the fire was put out around 3am, a 65-year-old security guard lost his life in the incident.
Meanwhile, traders at the market have lamented the loss of wares worth several millions of Naira.
Reports claim that some hoodlums came around 2:30am and set the market ablaze, killing a man identified as a security guard.
Similarly, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, through a statement earlier on Wednesday, said the deceased male adult had “gunshot injury”, fuelling suspicion that the fire was a deliberate attack on the market.
However, Hundeyin said the Commissioner of Police in the State, Idowu Owohunwa, urged Lagos residents to remain calm as the State Criminal Investigation Department has been directed to take over investigation to unravel the true circumstances surrounding the attack.
He equally urged for restraints in giving any form of extraneous coloration to the incident, while assuring that the outcome of the investigation will be made public.