Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom on Wednesday promised to release the sum of N50 million to traders whose shops were raised by a mysterious fire at the Makurdi Modern Market on Tuesday night.

No fewer than 200 shops were burnt by the fire which destroyed goods worth billions of naira, the fire started around 7.30pm shortly after the traders had closed from the market.

Ortom who visited the market on the spot assessment lamented the extent of damage and called on the affected traders to have faith in God saying, ‘when there is life, there is hope.

“This is one incident too many, recalled that we had fire incidence in Gboko market, Wadata market and now Modern market.

” And for Modern market, this is the third time it is happening within a few years.

“This alone is one too many and we do not deserve it again. We pray it never happens again and we must take some proactive steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

Ortom promised the traders that the state government would not abandon them in their moment of trial.

He said that a commission of inquiry would be set up to identify the immediate and remote causes of all the fire incidences in the market so as to ensure that such incident does not happen again.

The governor who lamented the destruction caused by the inferno said that billions of naira had been lost to the inferno.

He said that the Commission would among other things look into the issues surrounding the suspension of the market Union as well as seek ways to ensuring that all parts of the market which had been burnt down are rebuilt.

Speaking earlier, the Ter Makurdi, HRH Sule Abenga who sympathized with all the affected traders urged them not to despair but trust in God to bring them out of the predicament.

The traditional ruler who noted that the fire incidence had affected the economy of the state also called on the federal government to assist the state government in ameliorating the plight of the people.