Not less than 38 shops filled with good of were razed by an early morning inferno at Bodija market in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Monday.
The incident occurred at the Idi Igi lane where grinders are located in the market.
The cause of the incident described as mysterious by some traders remained unknown as of the time of this report.
The inferno, according to eyewitnesses, started around 4.30am as heavy smoke which later snowballed in a thick flame was noticed around ori-ile end of the market.
The incident, according to reports, led to pandemonium in the market as other traders who heard the news made their way to the markets to prevent criminals from taking advantage of the incident to loot their shops
It was gathered the goods in the affected shops were completely razed before officers and men of the Oyo State fire service could render any help.
Some of the traders commended the fire fighters for their timely response, stressing that, their efforts prevented the inferno from spreading to other parts of the market.
Victims of the incident lamented their losses and called for support from the state government and other well meaning Nigerians.
As of the time of filing this report, fire fighters have left the scene while some scavengers were seen around the affected shops.
When contacted, the Director of Operations, Oyo State Fire Service Agency, Engr Ismail Adeleke said the agency got an alert at about 5:30AM and had to swing into action.
He added the quick alert and timely response prevented the fire from spreading to other shops on the lane.
He however said the source of the fire could not be ascertained during preliminary investigation but confirmed that many goods, equipment and materials were ravaged but the inferno.
Adeleke said âThey call the place Idi-igi lane, Bodija market, Ibadan where there are lots of grinding machines, they grind pepper, yam flour and other things there too.
âThe fire service received the distress call at about 5:35AM from one Mr Akeredolu Ayo, from Yemetu Police Station, the officer alerted us of the fire incident in Bodija market.
âImmediately, we deployed our personnel to the scene and on getting there, many shops were locked and fire had spread. We had to call for back up to help us tackle the inferno.
âThe shops razed were about 37 out of the multiple shops there.
âWe are yet to establish the immediate cause of the fire because investigation is still ongoing. We want to conclude our investigation before going public on the incident.â
