Dakata market

By Uzair Adam

Barely one year after a devastating blaze ravaged parts of Fatima Simra Multipurpose Market at Dakata Industrial Layout in Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano State — and only weeks after a similar incident at Singa Market — another fire has swept through the commercial hub, destroying more than 100 shops and leaving traders counting losses estimated at over N1 billion.

The Daily Reality reports that the Chairman of the market, Dauda Haruna Chula, said he received a distress call at about 4:00 a.m. informing him of the outbreak.

He stated that, “I was called around 4:00 a.m. and told about the devastating fire at our market. Because I was not nearby at the time, I immediately contacted those who were close to the market and asked them to alert the relevant authorities to help contain the situation.”

Chula explained that the exact cause of the fire had yet to be determined, noting that conflicting accounts were circulating among traders and residents.

He said investigations were ongoing to verify the true source of the blaze.

“As of now, we cannot ascertain the real source of the fire. There are different versions of what might have caused it, and we are working to verify the facts,” he added.

The market is widely known for groundnut oil production and for trading in rubber materials and other consumables such as food items and bread, many of which are highly flammable.

Chula said oil producers were among the worst affected, disclosing that more than 100 makeshift shops were completely burnt to ashes.

He estimated the losses at over N1 billion, stressing that most of the victims are small-scale traders who depend on daily earnings to support their families.

“This market is the only source of livelihood for many of our members,” he said, calling on Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to urgently intervene.

He lamented that a N100 million support earlier promised after the previous fire incident had yet to be fulfilled.

“We are still waiting for the N100 million that we were promised after the last fire. Up till now, nothing has been given, and here we are again facing another tragedy,” Chula said.

While appreciating ASPIRA Nigeria Limited and both the state and federal fire services for their efforts in containing the blaze, the chairman maintained that a quicker response could have reduced the scale of destruction.

In a separate account, one of the victims, Malam Auwal Mahrazu, whose stall was completely razed, said the fire started around 3:00 a.m. during a night shift.

He explained that some workers were attempting to clear a grinding filling machine that had become clogged.

“Sometimes when we are working and the filling machine gets congested, we burn it slightly and then wash it to clear the blockage so work can continue smoothly,” he said.

According to him, the workers briefly left the area, possibly to prepare for their pre-dawn meal, only to return and find the flames spreading to nearby stalls.

“Before they came back, the fire had started catching other places. They tried to stop it, but it was beyond control,” Mahrazu recounted.

He claimed that more than 200 makeshift stalls were affected, though the intervention of firefighters prevented the fire from spreading further.

Another trader, Isa Abubakar, described the incident as a divine test, saying his entire shop was razed.

“This is nothing but a test from Allah. Only God truly knows how it started,” he said, while commending fire service personnel for battling the flames for hours.

Abubakar urged Governor Yusuf to implement lasting measures to curb recurring fire outbreaks in Kano markets.

Similarly, Abdulkadir Aliyu said he had yet to recover from the previous incident before the latest disaster struck.

He appealed to the government to fulfill its earlier financial pledge, lamenting that no assistance had been provided so far.

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Kano State Fire Service, Saminu Yusuf, confirmed that the agency received information about the incident but noted that a comprehensive report was yet to be compiled.

The latest inferno has intensified concerns over fire safety in Kano’s major markets, where traders operate in densely packed wooden structures and deal in highly combustible materials.