An early-morning fire has razed sections of the popular Bode Market in Ibadan, Oyo State, destroying shops and goods worth millions of naira.
The blaze broke out in the early hours and spread through several stalls before it was brought under control, but nevertheless, had destroyed several goods, as well as shops, resulting to outcry of the market traders
The cause of the inferno is yet to be unraveled, but one of the sufferers, simply identifying her name as Serifat, it was caused by uncareful use of electricity items.
The Oyo State Fire Service was yet to release an official statement as of press time, but firefighters were promptly deployed to the scene and succeeded in containing the flames, preventing further spread across the market.
Bode Market is one of Ibadan’s largest trading hubs and is well known for herbs, animal skins and other traditional products. It serves traders from across the South-West and other parts of Nigeria.
The outbreak comes weeks after a similar fire incident at Dugbe Market in Ibadan, intensifying concerns over fire safety in the state’s major markets.