Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has pledged to rebuild Oluku Market and provide assistance to traders who lost their shops and goods in a fire triggered by a petrol tanker explosion.
Governor Okpebholo gave the assurance on Friday during a visit to the market along the Benin-Lagos Road in Ovia North-East Local Government Area, where he inspected the damage caused by Thursday’s incident.
He also visited victims receiving treatment at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), assuring affected traders that his administration would help them recover their livelihoods.
The governor blamed unsafe fuel-transfer practices for the disaster and urged residents to avoid scooping petrol from fallen tankers, warning that doing so could lead to further casualties.
Market secretary Blessing Itoje appealed for government assistance, saying traders lost their goods and businesses in the fire, leaving some struggling to support their families and repay loans.
The Edo State Police Command said eight people sustained varying degrees of burns in the incident. The fire also destroyed parts of the market and several vehicles, while the full extent of the property losses remained undetermined.
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