Niger government has commiserated with victims of the fire incident that occurred at the new market area of Minna.

Gov. Umaru Bago, represented by his deputy, Yakubu Garuba, extended his sympathy to the victims during a visit to the scene of the fire incident in Minna on Monday. The fire occurred on Dec. 14, when shops and residential buildings were burnt down. Mr Bago pledged the state government’s support to the victims in order to bring succour to them. “On behalf of Governor Bago, we sympathise with the owners of the building and those that lost their goods during the fire incident,” Garuba said. He said officials of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) were working to identify the cause of the fire. He advised residents to be conscious of their electrical appliances and switch them off when not in use and while going out of the house to avoid the recurrence of such incidents. Also, Baba Arah, director-general of Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NASEMA), said the agency had conducted a rapid assessment of the fire, adding that seven rooms with a kitchen and seven shops were affected. Mr Arah, represented by Salihu Garba, director, relief and rehabilitation in the agency, advised people to always switch off electrical appliances at night while going to sleep and when going out of the house. The deputy governor was accompanied by Abubakar Usman, secretary to the Niger State government and commissioner for digital economy, Suleiman Ishah. (NAN)