Late on Friday night, a fire broke out in two wholesale shops along Umuohu Okpula Ndume axis of the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene Road in Umuahia, Abia State. The fire destroyed goods worth millions of naira.

This tragedy happened only six days after another midnight fire damaged a shop on Abriba Street near Owerri Road in the same city.

Mrs. Abigail Uzodinma, the owner of one of the affected shops, shared her sadness with DAILY POST. She said she was shocked because there was no electricity or flammable materials in her shop. She couldn’t understand how the fire started.

At midnight, she got a sudden phone call telling her that her shops, filled with goods worth millions, were burning.

The fire destroyed many items including bags of rice, garri, seasonings, and other important goods. Mrs. Uzodinma said the total loss was about 70 million naira.

She appealed to the Abia State government and kind people to help her pay off debts and start her business again.

Thanks to the quick work of the Abia State Fire Service and neighbors, the fire did not spread to other buildings nearby.

In a related story, Mrs. Njideka Okoye, a 43-year-old businesswoman, said thieves broke into her shop in the World Bank Housing Estate in Umuahia. They stole all 70 bags of rice she had recently stocked.

Mrs. Okoye asked for help from the government and the public. She also called for the thieves to be caught and punished.