Men of the Federal Fire Service, Edo State Fire Service, Nigerian Army School of Supply and Transport Benin, the University of Benin Fire Service (UNIBEN) and the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) on Wednesday battled helplessly to put out a raging fire that gulfed four shop on the busy Ugbowo-lagos road.

The fire incident was said to have started from one of the shops, dealing on Hospital and Laboratory equipment, and later spread to other shops within the building.

It was gathered that the fire incident occured around 2pm and caused alot of anxiety as residents and shop owners made frantic effort to salvage the goods, while operatives of the different fire services were on ground to fight the fire, without any luck.

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A visit to the scene of the inferno, it was discovered that all four shops directly opposite the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) was completely razed in the inferno.

Scene of the incident.

Speaking, one of the shop owners who operates a Boutique, Mr. Sunday Madubuko said about 2.45pm, a shop next to his was on fire, as he was told by the shop sales girl.

“The sales girl ran to my shop telling me that fire is burning in our office, I told her I don’t have a fire extinguisher. Before I knew it, the fire extended to my Boutique . All I know is that the fire started from the Laboratory Shop and spread to other shops. The cause of the fire, I still don’t know. What I lost in the inferno is goods worth over N20,000,000,”Madubuko said.

There was tension in Auchi, Edo State, on Tuesday as members of rival cult groups engaged in a violent confrontation, resulting in the killing of an alleged Eiye member in the presence of his daughter.

According to reports, the perpetrators believed to be members of the Aye Confraternity, arrived at the scene in a Lexus car.

NaijaConfra, a social-media-based platform dedicated to the eradication of cultism-related killings in Nigeria, reported the incident on X on Wednesday.

Naija Confra revealed that the violence was a retaliatory strike orchestrated by members of the Aye group in response to an earlier attack on an Aye member identified as Emma, who was killed on Monday in Auchi.

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“Naija Confra can now confirm that the Aye member named Emma, eliminated in Auchi on Monday, whose assailants were initially unknown, was indeed carried out by members of Eiye, as the events of yesterday was a retaliation for that attack,” it wrote on its X page.

The reports indicate that despite the presence of the victim’s daughter, the assailants attacked hastily, abandoning their vehicle and weapons.

Members of vigilante groups in the area were said to have pursued the assailants, prompting them to flee the scene.

It was learnt that the incident occurred behind Farnet in Auchi.

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A video shared online showed the deceased lying lifelessly on the floor.

Another video showed the car allegedly abandoned by the perpetrators.

The Edo State Police Command has yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Chidi Nwabuzor, said that he was not aware of the incident.

No fewer than 21 suspects were on Tuesday paraded by the Nigeria police, Edo State Command, for alleged robbery, unlawful possession of fire arms, murder, cultism, illicit drugs, economic sabotage and pipeline vandalism.

Parading the suspects at the Command headquarters, Benin City, the Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, Mr. Funsho Adegboye, said the suspects were arrested at different parts of the state for various crimes.

Among the suspects were Ovie Samuel (46), Stanley Itota (45), Felix Oputi (46), Kadiri Hassan (45) and Alex Akaeze, who were arrested for being in possession of 1,080 kilograms of ICE (hard drug), worth ₦20, million street value.

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Adegboye described successes recorded by operatives of the different units of the Command in the last two weeks as “a season of harvest of criminals.”

“This has been a season of harvest of criminals. the suspects were arrested within a period of two weeks and all this is done to make Edo safe for the citizens to carry out businesses in the state,” he said.

Meanwhile, CP Funsho Adegboye has advised parents to warn their children, especially university students, to avoid being used by unscrupulous politicians.

He gave the warning ahead of the commencement of governorship electioneering.

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“We want to implore members of the public to please warn their wards, especially young people, especially university students.

“Our youths should be discouraged, they should not be used as tools in the hands of some unscrupulous politicians.

“Like I advised the executive members of the Students’ Union of the University of Benin, the people that are making use of them, their own children are not around, so why would they want to get involved,” he said.

Adegboye, who commended the people of the state for supporting the police, appealed to all stakeholders to continue to give useful information to enable the police to fight crimes and criminality in the state.