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Livestock traders in Olusola Saraki Market, Ita-Nma, Ilorin in Ilorin West Local Government which was engulfed by fire on Friday night continued to lament their losses as many animals were consumed by the inferno.
A devastating fire broke out on Friday night at a relocated Ago livestock market, which was renamed Olusola Saraki Market, leaving over 15 shops destroyed with livestock and provisions worth millions of naira reduced to ashes.
Livestock affected by the inferno included goats, rams, sheep and chickens, as well as clothing materials, provisions and mineral drinks.
The Fire Service, in a statement signed by the Principal Fire Officer and head of Media and Publicity of the state Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, said that 269 shops were in the market.
It said that the fire was sparked by a power surge caused by fluctuating supply from the power distribution company.
The statement said, “On Friday, 10 January 2025, at about 21:36 hours, the Kwara State Fire Service received a distress call reporting a fire outbreak at Olusola Saraki Market, Ita-Amo, Ilorin.
“Our firefighters promptly deployed to the scene and discovered multiple shops ablaze in a market comprising 276 shops. Through swift intervention, professionalism, and expertise, our team successfully contained the inferno, limiting the damage to only seven shops and saving 269 others.
“The affected shops included meat vendors, clothing material shops, and provision stores.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the incident might have been caused by a power surge following the fluctuating power supply from the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), as reported by the market’s security personnel,” the statement said.
However, PUNCH Metro check at the market on Saturday revealed that the fire, which broke out around 8:00 p.m. on Friday, occurred shortly after the market had closed for the day.
Livestock traders in the market bore the brunt of the disaster, with goods and livestock reduced to ashes.
Speaking on the disaster, Vice Chairman of the Livestock Sellers Association, Alhaji Yakub Oloso, expressed despair over the incident and appealed for government assistance.
“We were called around 8 p.m. after closing hour yesterday that our animal stalls were on fire. We thank the fire service because they came around 9 p.m., but before then, a lot of goods had been damaged, including our animals, like goats, rams and chickens.
“About 15 shops owned by our members were affected by the fire.
“We therefore appeal to the governor, His Excellency, Mallam AbdulRaman AbdulRazaq, to have mercy upon us and come to our aid because our members whose goods were affected suffered huge losses, and they need money to restart their business,” Oloso said.
He also noted that the cause of the fire remains unknown to them.
Another trader who gave his name as Saliu Kelebe, who was one of the victims, called on the Kwara State Government to assist them with trading capital, saying, “The loss is too much; we beg the government to help us.”
A woman trader in the market identified as Iya Abu, who was a provision dealer in the market, said that she lost three refrigerators to the inferno, adding that she had just restocked her shop on Thursday when the fire incident occurred on Friday night.
“I have three refrigerators in my shop stocked with mineral drinks and provisions, and all were lost and burnt to ashes in the fire incident,” Iya Abu said.
Chairman of Ilorin West Local Government Council, Babatunde Ladan, who paid a condolence visit to the market on Saturday, sympathised with the traders on the incident and promised assistance to the traders.
Ladan said, “I sympathise with the traders for the loss of their wares in the fire incident. I’m sure that the governor, H/E Mallam AbdulRaman AbdulRazaq, who is our father, will come to our rescue and will surely provide succour to the traders in this market.”
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