Wednesday, April 9, 2025 - A fire outbreak in the early hours of Tuesday has destroyed no fewer than 55 shops at the herbal medicine section of the Zamfara Central Market.
This is coming just six weeks after a similar incident razed
over 100 shops in the same market.
The cause of the fire, which started around 1:00am, remains
unclear as investigations continue.
However, there are suspicions it may have been triggered by
certain flammable herbs stored in some shops, though no official conclusion has
been reached.
Chairman of the affected section, Alhaji Sa’adu Dahiru,
confirmed the scale of the destruction and described the incident as
devastating.
“The fire also destroyed some shops belonging to blouse and
seasoning sellers,” he said. “I know some of our members who lost everything.
They have families and rely on this business to provide for them.
“There is one of our members who kept his N50,000 in the
shop with the intention of taking it to the bank today (Tuesday), but the money
was razed along with his goods. I am appealing to the state government to look
into our plight and support us financially.”
The Managing Director of the market, Alhaji Ahmad Salihu
Shinkafi, stated that the management was still investigating the root cause of
the fire.
“From what we were told by some of the traders, it was
ignited by a herb which does not resist excess heat. They said once there is
excess heat, it can explode. But we are still investigating to know the actual
cause of the fire,” he said.
He also outlined preventive measures already in place: “We
had banned the use of fire within the market premises. That is why we don’t
allow tea sellers, food sellers and other people who are using fire to come
near the market. So only God knows what caused this inferno.”
As victims count their losses and call for government
intervention, the tragedy highlights the growing concern over recurring fire
disasters in markets across northern Nigeria.
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