One injured, 50 shops razed in Ibadan market

One person has been reportedly injured and 50 shops razed in a fire incident at Bodija plank market, Ibadan North local government area of Oyo State.

The injured victim, Ahmed Abdulwasiu, is receiving treatment at Calvary Baptist Hospital, Bodija, Ibadan.

While narrating his ordeal, Abdulwasiu said he was trying to quench the fire in his shop before he was trapped, saying he would have died if not for quick intervention of rescuers. 

Another victim, Mutiu Olaoluwa, a furniture trader, said: ”I was outside my shop when i suddenly heard the fire upsurge. Before I knew it, the flames covered everywhere. I couldn’t take anything out. Over 75 doors belonging to my customer were burnt. My N120,000 plank was also burnt.

“I lost over N5 million to the fire because all my equipment, generator and machines were burnt. All I have been labouring for the past 30 to 40 years was burnt.”

Adeniyi Ogunmola said, “I was here yesterday around 4:30 pm, the fire started from a carpenter shop behind my shop, I went there to see what is going on, on my way back to my shop to carry my equipment, the fire came to my shop in less than five minutes.”

“If not for people that carried me out of the fire, I would have died by now, I just came back from market where I loaded full trailer of plank, I lost about N6 million goods to the incident.”

The victims called on government to come to their aid.