Goods and property worth millions of naira were destroyed in a fire at the Oil Mill Market along Aba Road in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The cause of the blaze has not yet been determined, but it began early on Saturday while traders were still at home. The Oil Mill Market, a popular mid‑week market in the Rumuokwurusi community of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, attracts sellers from neighboring states every Wednesday.
An eyewitness reported that the fire started at about 6:45 a.m. and raged for several hours before firefighters arrived. As traders assessed their losses, many expressed concern about the impact on their businesses and appealed to Governor Nyesom Wike for assistance. One middle‑aged woman, identified only as Ebere, said she was still asleep when she received a call about the fire. “When I got there, all my goods and those of others had been destroyed,” she said. “A trailer load of yam, garri and charcoal that we had off‑loaded was completely burnt. Please, Governor Wike, come and help us. We are dying because of this fire!”
Another victim, a widow, broke down in tears as she explained that she had borrowed money to stock her two shops, which were now reduced to ashes. “I am a widow; my husband died in 2007. I borrowed money to buy goods and I am still paying interest. My two shops and all the yam tubers I bought have burnt to ashes. Who will help me? How will I repay the loan?” she lamented, fighting back tears.
Speaking on the incident, O. C. Wosu, Chairman of the Community Development Committee in Rumuokwurusi, said the cause of the fire remains unknown but expressed relief that no lives were lost. “I received distressed calls from many traders reporting that a section of the Oil Mill Market was on fire. I quickly alerted the fire service. The Total E&P fire service and the Shell fire service responded and were able to contain the blaze. I thank God that there were no casualties. The traders’ goods, including buildings, suffered losses exceeding N500,000,” he said. He appealed to the Rivers State government and the local government to provide assistance to the affected traders.
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