Okpebholo pledges to rebuild fire-damaged Oluku Market

Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo has promised to rebuild Oluku Market and assist traders whose shops and goods were destroyed in a fire on October 15, while attributing the blaze to unsafe fuel transfer by a tanker owner. Okpebholo made the pledge on October 16 during a visit to the market in Ovia North-East Local Government Area and to victims receiving treatment at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. The fire destroyed the market, and reports said people were injured and some died. The number of casualties was not specified in the accounts. The governor said the owner of the tanker involved had brought a second tanker to transfer or evacuate fuel without necessary safety precautions. He described the incident as avoidable and said people had been scooping fuel before the explosion. The explanation was Okpebholo’s account; the reports did not cite an independent investigation or technical findings establishing the cause. He urged residents to stay away from scenes involving fuel fires and other disasters, and said the state administration would not abandon affected traders. He pledged to rebuild the market and support people who lost shops and goods, but no specific...