The Chairman of Sokoto State Motorcycles Marketers Association, Garba Muhammed, on Tuesday said 65 motorcycles were unaccounted for after fire gutted part of the Sokoto central market on Monday.
Daily Trust reported that the fire which was said to have emanated from a refuse dump site gutted a section of the market where motorcycles and bicycles were sold .
Speaking during a condolence visit by Governor Ahmed Aliyu few hours after the inferno, Muhammed said 21 stores and 41 permanent shops were destroyed by the fire which started around 4 am.
He added that 110 temporary shops were razed down by the outbreak.
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The chairman further stated that they lost 65 motorcycles and 10 new engines to thieves who disguised as rescuers.
He appealed to the state government to provide financial assistance to the victims, saying some of them have lost all their goods
Responding, Governor Ahmed Aliyu said a committee would soon be constituted to ascertain the remote cause of the fire and the level of damage it has caused.
“I assure you the government would do something within its limited resources,” he said.
The governor, however, directed the management and the market communities to evacuate the refuge that caused the fire within three weeks or risk its closure.