Traders in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, were thrown into confusion on Tuesday after a raging fire destroyed several shops and goods worth millions of naira in a popular market in the state.
The blaze, which reportedly started from one of the locked shops, spread rapidly to nearby stalls before emergency responders arrived at the scene.
Eyewitnesses said fabrics, food items and several other valuables were consumed by the fire, leaving many shop owners devastated.
“We suddenly heard people shouting ‘fire, fire!’ and within minutes the situation became uncontrollable.
Traders were running around trying to save their goods,” a witness said.
Although the exact cause of the incident had yet to be officially established as of the time of filing this report, some traders suspected that an electrical fault might have triggered the inferno.
Officials of the fire service, alongside market leaders and residents, were said to have battled the blaze for hours to stop it from spreading to other sections of the market.
Several affected traders lamented the huge losses recorded in the incident, describing the development as a major setback to their businesses.
Authorities had yet to release an official estimate of the damage caused by the fire.