An early-morning fire has destroyed about 300 shops at the popular Oranya Market in Ibadan North-East Local Government Area of Oyo State, leaving traders facing significant losses.
The fire reportedly started around midnight on Monday and spread through several sections of the market. Traders dealing in gold, furniture, second-hand clothing and other goods were among those affected.
An eyewitness identified as Iya Alia said the fire started around midnight but that she could not give the exact time. She estimated that almost 300 shops were affected.
Another eyewitness described the incident as devastating, saying the scale of the destruction was difficult to comprehend.
However, the Oyo State Fire Service has cautioned against putting a definitive figure on the number of shops destroyed at this stage. Morof Akinwande, Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Reforms and Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Services, confirmed the incident and said officials were still assessing the damage.
Akinwande said the fire started in the middle of the market following an explosion. He said authorities were yet to determine whether the explosion was caused by gas or another source.
According to him, the fire had been brought under control by about 1 a.m., but determining the exact number of destroyed shops and the value of goods lost would require a post-fire investigation.
“Some shops were destroyed,” Akinwande confirmed, while stressing that it was too early to provide an accurate figure for the losses.
The latest incident has renewed concerns over recurring market fires in Ibadan. In 2024, more than 200 shops in the herbal section of Oranya Market were reportedly destroyed by fire.
The latest blaze also occurred barely two days after another fire destroyed nine locked-up shops at the Nigerian Railway shopping complex along Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan. Traders in that incident reported losses running into millions of naira.
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