On Monday, February 6, a late-morning fire destroyed approximately 200 homes in the informal Muna Internally Displaced Persons’ Camp on the outskirts of the Maiduguri metropolis in Borno State.
The fire, according to eyewitnesses who were unable to determine the cause, broke out around 11 a.m. and spread to the thatched homes.
Due to the fact that it is an unofficial camp, it was also impossible to determine the population of the affected IDPs right away.
According to Modu Maina, 70, who is from Bale in the Mafa Local Government Area and has two wives and three children, “I lost everything comprising all my three rooms, wearing apparels, beds and beddings, and one sack of guinea corn.” Modu Maina is from Bale and lives in Mafa.
He estimated that the loss of his property in the fire would cost more than N10,000.
Gubo Lawan, 60, who has a wife and six children, stated, “My two rooms, beddings, and all food items were all burned down.” However, he was unable to estimate how much his losses would cost.
Modu Malam Aja, 65, told PUNCH that the fire destroyed his three rooms, two sacks of maize, and two grinding machines. He has one wife and eight children.
Aja estimated that the two grinding machines, which each cost N50,000, would have cost N300,000 to replace after the fire.
The Punch claims that because it is an unofficial camp, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other emergency responders declined to comment on the incident.