A fire outbreak in the early hours of Thursday gutted parts of the popular Bode Market in Ibadan South West Local Government Area of Oyo State, destroying several shops and goods worth millions of naira.
The cause of the inferno had yet to be determined as of the time of filing this report, while the Oyo State Fire Service had not issued an official statement on the incident.
An eyewitness, who identified herself simply as Serifat, said the fire caused extensive destruction, leaving many traders counting their losses.
“The blaze caused extensive damage, leaving many traders counting their losses. We have not known the cause of this fire incident,” she said.
Firefighters were reportedly deployed to the scene shortly after the outbreak and succeeded in bringing the fire under control, preventing it from spreading to other parts of the market.
Bode Market is one of the largest commercial markets in Ibadan and serves as a major trading hub for herbs, animal skins and other traditional products. The market attracts traders from across the South-West and other parts of Nigeria.
Authorities are expected to investigate the cause of the fire, while an assessment of the extent of the damage is ongoing.
