JUST IN: Early morning fire razes shops in Oyo market

About 300 shops were destroyed by an early Monday morning fire at the popular Oranya Market in Ibadan North-East Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Our correspondent’s investigation revealed that the fire affected retail shops in the market.

Affected traders, according to an eyewitness, included gold sellers, furniture dealers, second-hand clothes sellers and others.

A trader, simply identified as Iya Alia, said, “The fire started around midnight. I cannot be specific about that time. And those affected were gold sellers, furniture sellers, second-hand clothes sellers and many others. The shops affected were almost 300.”

Another eyewitness, who did not want his name in print, said, “This is devastating. This is huge. I don’t even know how to explain it. Close to 300 shops were destroyed.”

When PUNCH Online contacted the Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Reforms and State Chairman of Fire Services, Morof Akinwande, by telephone on Monday, he confirmed the incident.

He said, “Yes, it occurred. That number we cannot ascertain, but what is known is that some shops were destroyed and the fire incident started in the middle of the market with an explosion.

“Whether it’s a gas explosion or other things. And when you have a gas explosion, it would spread, but as I am talking to you, the situation has been under control since 1 am.

“On the number of shops and inventory, that is too early because that’s post-fire outbreak investigation. So, I cannot be accurate about the number of shops that were destroyed. But shops were actually gone.”

PUNCH Online reports that a similar incident occurred at the herbal section of the market in 2024, when over 200 shops were completely razed.

It will also be recalled that a fire incident on Saturday, August 22, 2026, razed nine locked-up shops at the Nigerian Railway shopping complex, located along the popular Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan South-West Local Government Area of Oyo State.

According to findings by PUNCH Online, goods, household items and other properties worth millions of naira were destroyed in the inferno.

It was further gathered that the fire started around 5 am on Saturday and caused damage before firefighters were alerted.

One of the affected traders, Busari Olayemi, told newsmen that people living around Quarters 4 alerted the shop owners to the fire around 6 am.

Olayemi, who runs an interior decoration business with his partner, Adebola Adeniyi, said, “The fire destroyed products worth about N21 million, including window blinds, curtain fabrics, industrial sewing machines and other equipment.

“What happened here destroyed a lot of things. Our customers’ fabrics were burnt; you can see them over there. Our industrial sewing machines and tools were burnt right there,” one of the affected shop owners lamented.