A fire outbreak early Tuesday morning razed about 50 shops at the Bayan Tasha market in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital.
The inferno reportedly began around 2:00 am when electricity was restored to the area, long after shop owners had closed for the day.
Eyewitnesses credited the swift intervention of federal and state fire services with preventing further destruction. No lives were lost in the incident, and the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) is currently assessing the damage and tallying the number of shops affected.
This marks a tragic recurrence at Bayan Tasha market, as it comes exactly one year after a similar fire incident devastated the same location in 2023.
The fire in Damaturu adds to a spate of recent market infernos nationwide. In Oyo State, a midnight fire at Moniya’s farmers’ market, popularly known as “Oja Agbe,” destroyed properties worth millions of naira on Monday. Several shops, containers, and kiosks were reduced to ashes.
Similarly, Abuja’s Trademore Estate market was engulfed by flames early Monday morning, destroying its sole marketplace. That fire reportedly started around 3:30 am, shortly after power was restored by the Abuja Electric Distribution Company (AEDC).
The alarming frequency of market fires across Nigeria raises concerns about fire safety measures and the preparedness of marketplaces to prevent such disasters.
