Fire Outbreak: Fear As Eneka Market Traders Roast Fish On Shell Pipeline
3 min read
Edith CHUKU




Residents of Eneka in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, have expressed fear over the activities of fish sellers at the Rumuekpolu Ultra Modern Market, along Eneka-OPM Link Road.
They are begging stakeholders in the community and the market owners to warn the traders against roasting their fishes on the oil pipelines, as it was very risky for everyone around the neighbourhood, including the traders at the market.
Their fear is that there could be leakages which could result to explosion, if the action was not put to stop.
They urged the market leaders to caution those involved in the act to avert deaths and the damages that could result from such incident.
This is coming in about one week after a fire incident that occured at Rumuworlu Street, in Eneka, which burnt a six-month-old baby to death, and severely injured the Mother and two-year-old sibling.
Speaking in an interview with TNN, a mechanic, Mr. Monday Ekpo, who resides along the pipeline said, “this thing is very dangerous but them no go hear till people die, God forbid.
“How normal human being go put fire for pipeline? If anything happen here people go just roast like charcoal. Eh no good and nobody ready to talk, na their money them dey come collect here.
“The only thing I wan beg na make them stop this thing, eh no dey safe, abeg, we dey hear fire everywhere still we dey do wetin fit cause fire, I he tenant, if I hear anything I don park, na them wey from here I dey pity.”
Another respondent, Chioma Ichendu sàid, “my sister, human being no dey hear till something happen, we no dey hear. Why not dry the fish for the other side, at least eh far small from the pipeline, why here?
“No, I no talk say make them remove the market but anything fire, roast something, make them carry am go the other side, here dey dangerous.
“Even some house wey dey here no dey safe, abeg, make them stop this fish wey them dey dry here, eh no good.”
Also speaking, a native of the community, Mr. Echendu Igwe expressed dismay that the practice has been on for long.
Wondering why the market owners were yet to rebuke the women, he said, “I am from this community. It’s unfortunate that we allow things to spoil before we do the right thing. This is very dangerous. Without wasting much of your time, I just want to beg the women to stop, please, maybe they are ignorant of the danger but they have to stop.
“Yes, of course, the owners of the market, I want to also beg them, this should not continue at all, no, because nothing here can be compared to the loss if anything like fire outbreak happens because of this, please.”