An early-morning fire destroyed approximately 50 shops at the Bayan Tasha Market in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State.
Eyewitnesses reported that the fire started around 2:00 a.m. on Tuesday, following the restoration of electricity to the area.
At the time, all shop owners had already closed for the night.
Thanks to the swift intervention of the federal and state fire services, the blaze was contained, preventing further destruction.
While no lives were lost, officials from the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) are currently assessing the extent of the damage, including the number of affected shops and the value of properties destroyed.
This incident comes exactly one year after a similar fire devastated Bayan Tasha Market in 2023.
Market fires remain a recurring issue across the country.
Just yesterday, a midnight blaze at the “Oja Agbe” farmers’ market in Moniya, Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State, destroyed properties worth millions of naira.
Shops, containers, and kiosks were reduced to ashes.
Similarly, an early-morning inferno on Monday razed the only market in Trademore Estate, Lugbe, Abuja.
That fire, which began around 3:30 a.m., was also linked to a restored electricity supply by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC).
The recurring nature of such incidents highlights the urgent need for preventive measures to protect businesses and livelihoods in marketplaces across Nigeria.
