Kara Inferno: Ogun says victims are illegal residents



 Ogun State Government has said the people living in Kara, the community razed by fire on Wednesday night, are illegal residents. The government, however, said it would still help those who were displaced by the fire incident after due consultation with the leaders of the community. The Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Taiwo Adeoluwa, in a statement on Thursday, advised prospective property  developers in the state to always obtain necessary approvals from relevant government agencies before embarking on construction. He said, "Apparently, these are shanties built without government approval and we are not happy about the development. "That notwithstanding, as a responsive government we will stand by them (victims) during this period. We will do something in the meantime to assist those affected after consultations with the leaders." Meanwhile, as the dust settles and the ashes pile up, the residents have been counting their losses. Among them was a pregnant woman, identified simply as Meminat, who sold food and lost her three shops including a year's sales which people said ran into millions of naira. Saude Adamu, a mother of two, who also sells food outside Kara, said she lost all her property to the fire, while hoodlums took advantage of the incident to steal the remaining personal effects on the pretext of evacuating them. She said, "Apart from the property, I lost N100,000 which I had kept in my room. I have no clothes anymore. As you can see, my daughter is not wearing anything. We lost all to the fire." But another resident, Murtala Muhammed, 39, said he was able to save some of his property. He said, "I was able to pack some of my things to safety. For now, I plan to sleep in hotels and any other place I could find until I can get accommodation." Another victim, Monsuru Olalere, told our correspondent that he slept under the bridge after the inferno and would continue to do so because he had no alternative. The Kara inferno, which was said to have been caused by one of those preparing meal in the area started around 6.30pm. One of the residents, who joined in the rescue efforts, Kehinde Oriola, lamented the slow response of firefighters. He said angry youths in the area chased away men of the Lagos State Fire Service when they came two hours after the fire outbreak. He said, "By the time The Lagos State Fire Service came, there was nothing more to save. Nobody came to our rescue. Only one truck of water from Ogun State came to the scene on time. But what will a truck of water do?" In a related development, the South-West coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Iyiola Akande, urged more synergy between Lagos and Ogun states in case of such disasters. Punch