Hundreds of shops and business centres were destroyed on Monday after a midnight fire razed the popular Oranyan Market in Ibadan North East Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The inferno affected shops operated by retailers, including furniture sellers, gold dealers and traders in fairly used clothes, popularly known as “Akube.”
Although the authorities have yet to establish the exact number of shops destroyed, traders and eyewitnesses estimated that about 300 shops were affected.
Goods worth millions of naira were also reportedly destroyed in the fire.
A trader who identified herself as Iya Alia said the fire started around midnight, although she could not give the exact time.
“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,” she said.
Another eyewitness, who requested anonymity, described the incident as devastating, saying, “This is devastating. This is huge, I don’t even know how to explain it. Close to 300 shops were destroyed.”
Confirming the incident, the Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Reforms and state Chairman of Fire Services, Morof Akinwande, said the authorities could not yet ascertain the number of shops affected.
“Yes, it occurred. We cannot ascertain that number, but what is known is that some shops were destroyed, and the fire started in the middle of the market with an explosion,” Akinwande said.
He said it was too early to determine whether the explosion was caused by gas or another source, adding that the situation had been brought under control.
“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,” he said.
Akinwande said an assessment of the number of shops and the value of goods destroyed would form part of a post-fire investigation.
On the number of shops and inventory, that is too early because that’s a post-fire outbreak investigation. So, I cannot be accurate about the number of shops that were destroyed. But shops were actually gone,” he said.
The incident is the latest in a series of market fires recorded in Ibadan in recent months.
On Friday, July 3, 2026, a fire razed the herbal section of Bode Traditional Herbs and Other Products Market, also known as “Iso Alagbo”, in Ibadan Southwest Local Government Area.
The fire reportedly started in one shop around 10 pm before spreading to adjoining stalls, destroying millions of naira worth of traditional herbs, roots, leaves, barks and other products. No lives were lost in the incident.
Similarly, on Saturday, August 22, 2026, fire destroyed nine locked-up shops at the Nigerian Railway shopping complex along the Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan Southwest Local Government Area.
The fire reportedly started around 5 am and damaged several businesses before firefighters were alerted.
One of the affected traders, Busari Olayemi, said residents of Quarters 4 alerted shop owners to the incident around 6 am.
Olayemi, who runs an interior decoration business with his partner, Adebola Adeniyi, said goods and equipment worth about N21 million were destroyed.
“The fire destroyed products worth about N21 million, including window blinds, curtain fabrics, industrial sewing machines and other equipment,” he said.
He added, “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.”
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