Hamidu Tejuolola, a dealer in anointing oil and Yoruba goods at Otukpo main market tapped the floor severally with her right foot as she narrated her ordeal. She was in despondency due to the fire incident in Otukpo market penultimate week which burnt her two shops to ashes. She told this magazine that she lost goods worth over N2 million to the fire. 
Tejoulola is not alone in the predicament. Umoru Abubakar, a trader in the market is also lamenting the loss of consumable goods like onions, tomatoes, dried pepper, anointing oil and assorted goods. Abubakar said his loss is worth over a million naira.
The two are just few examples of the several traders who lost their wares to the fire outbreak that gutted the market. There are others who deal in cosmetics, boxes and foreign rice that also lost their goods to the inferno.
The fire was said to have started at about 5.00 p.m. on the fateful day, February 5 when most traders who came for business that day had left for their homes. John Okoh, chairman of palm oil traders in the market who said he was in the market on the day of the incident told Newsworld that as soon as he sighted the fire, he mobilised some youths and other traders who were around to put it out.  He said it was initially difficult to reach the scene of the incident because of the congestion in the market as well as the tarpaulins covering most of the roofs of the shops which he said aided the fire to spread due to their combustible nature. Even fire fighters who came following a distress call could not gain access. Sympathisers were forced to use containers to fetch water to quench the fire. Some of the traders who were on hand moved their goods from the market to safe havens.
The market has witnessed several fire incidents in the last decade. In 2009 during a similar incident goods worth millions of naira were lost. Peter Obi, who sells mattresses and Samson Anara were some of the traders affected by the incident.
Chairman of the caretaker committee of Otukpo local government council, Dr Innocent Onuh told this magazine via phone that over 15 shops were burnt during the fire incident. He said efforts were being made to bring a functional fire service to the town while plans were in top gear to expand the passages for easy access.
Okoh, chairman of palm oil traders appealed to the local government to make good its promise to salvage the situation instead of only coming to the market to collect taxes. He also called for the provision of a fire service in Otukpo to curb the frequent cases of fire outbreak in the area.