A late-night inferno has gutted a building housing several shops at No. 36 New Umuahia Road, Ogbor Hill, Aba, Abia State, destroying goods and property worth millions of naira.
The blaze, reportedly triggered by a faulty solar electrical installation in one of the shops, quickly spread through the building before emergency responders could contain it.
By the time operatives of the Abia State Fire Service arrived, the fire had already consumed nearly all the goods stored in the affected shops.
Several business owners who spoke to journalists lamented their losses, saying they were left with nothing after years of investment.
Among the victims were Destiny Uwa, a dealer in packaging materials; Onyekachi Nelson, who repairs and sells hair clippers; Rose Onwuka, a wholesaler of Nigerian Breweries products; and Kelechi, a poultry feed merchant.
Also affected was Prosper Ukoha, who said his newly equipped salon, worth several millions of naira was razed a day before its scheduled grand opening.
The distraught traders appealed to Governor Alex Otti, the Abia State government, and public-spirited individuals to come to their aid, saying such intervention would determine whether they could recover and resume business.
Some residents of Ogbor Hill also called on the state government to strengthen fire safety regulations and improve emergency response capacity in Aba to avert future disasters.