By Onwa Ekor
Victims of the March 27, 2026 fire outbreak at the Akim Timber Market in Calabar Municipality have appealed to the Cross River government and relevant agencies for assistance.
The inferno, which razed 22 shops and destroyed goods worth millions of naira, has left many traders in distress.
Speaking during a peaceful protest at the market, the victims lamented the devastating impact of the fire on their businesses and families, noting that some affected traders have relocated while others have resorted to begging to survive.
The protesters, carrying placards with inscriptions such as “The People First Governor, come to our aid,” “Build us up again,” “You have compensated one, compensate others,” “We have more voting strength,” and “SPAR suffered losses, we too suffered losses,” called for similar intervention as extended to victims of the SPAR Mall fire incident.
According to them, as taxpayers and patriotic citizens, they deserve support to cushion the effects of the disaster, especially as many had obtained credit facilities from commercial banks which they are now unable to repay.
President of the Akim Timber Market Dealers Association, Prince Sunday Ukata, said the protest was to remind government and relevant authorities of the incident, which destroyed 22 sheds and goods and property worth over N600 million.
Ukata commended the government for compensating victims of the SPAR Mall fire, and appealed that the same gesture be extended to timber dealers.
“As supporters of the present administration at both the state and federal levels, with a voting strength of over 5,000 and four polling units, we are appealing to government to come to our aid,” he said.
He disclosed that officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) visited the scene, took pictures and promised intervention, but the promise is yet to be fulfilled, leaving victims in abject poverty.
A victim and stakeholder in the market, Mr. Asuquo Edem, said the traders presently lack the financial capacity to meet demands for timber products, and therefore need urgent assistance.
Another victim, Mr. Archibong Ita, recalled that all relevant authorities contacted for help during the fire failed to respond, except personnel of the University of Calabar Fire Service who came to their rescue.
“Most of our members who obtained credit facilities from commercial banks could not salvage their goods and today are finding it difficult to repay the loans,” Ita said.
He added that while victims of other fire incidents in the state had received assistance, Akim timber dealers appeared to have been abandoned.
A visually-impaired victim, Mr. Marcus Ubong, whose shop was razed, spoke amidst tears: “I have no other means of survival apart from this timber business. At home, my wife, unable to cope with my situation as a visually-impaired person and the loss of my shop, threatened divorce. I am pleading with the governor as a listening father to help me cope.”
It would be recalled that shortly after the incident, the then Commissioner for Information, Mr. Erasmus Ekpang, on behalf of the state government, sympathised with the victims, assuring that they would not be left to bear the burden alone and that a framework for support and recovery was being outlined to help displaced traders get back on their feet.
