A popular brothel in Diobu, Port Harcourt Local Government Areas in Rivers State has been razed down by fire over the weekend rendering all the inmates homeless.
According to eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity, a woman (of Yoruba extraction) whose name was not given who normally fries akara beans balls by the frontage of the hotel was said to have ignited the fire from the adulterated kerosene which inflamed from her stove.
“Instead of her shouting for help from the beginning of the fire outbreak, which happened when most people were in their church services, she preferred to fight it alone unsuccessfully until the flame got to the roof, spread out and engulf the whole building.”, said the witness.
Some persons who volunteered to assist her stated that all effort made to call on the fire service to their aid was futile.
“The fire service did not come throughout the four(4) hours the fire raged, neither did they picked the distress calls.”
They said it was only the police that reluctantly responded when the whole place has been razed down.
The owner of the brothel known as ‘Padrol’ Hotel, situated at No. 48 Azikiwe street, Mile 3, Diobu Port Harcourt, Prince Ihunwo in a chat with newsmen explained that the 8 room apartment was razed down completely without them brining out any property because of the COVID-19 lockdown that restricted the opening of brothels and hotels.
Ihunwo, who is the Youth President of ‘Ikwerre Bu Otu’ youth organization while lamenting his loss, used the opportunity to appeal to the local and state governments, companies as well as public spirited individuals to assist him in renovating the property as his only source of livelihood.
He equally used the chance to thank everybody that ran to their help to fight the fire.
Meanwhile, other eye witnesses who spoke to our reporters blamed the razing of the hotel on alleged inability of personnel of fire service to respond to distress calls.
They regretted that despite several calls put across to operatives of Rivers State Fire Service and other multinationals in the state, no one intervened.
No fire service personnel was also seen at the scene of the incident but Police patrol van belonging to Azikiwe Divisional Police headquarters, Mile 2 Diobu was present to prevent breakdown of law and order, when our reporter visited the scene.
