A devastating fire on Thursday night razed dozens of shops at the New Modern Market in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, destroying goods and property worth millions of naira.
The fire, which started around 9:30 p.m., raged until the early hours of Friday, leaving shop owners and traders in despair. Efforts by the Nasarawa State Fire Service to contain the inferno were hampered by heaps of refuse in and around the market, which obstructed access and intensified the flames.
Musa Abdullahi, a victim of the fire, described the loss as overwhelming. “No one can say for sure what caused the fire, but it destroyed no fewer than 30 shops. Most of the shops affected were tailoring shops, and 40 new sewing machines delivered just that morning were completely lost. Three of the affected shops belonged to my father, and others were selling shoes and clothes,” Abdullahi said.
Witnesses reported that the intensity of the heat repeatedly forced firefighters to retreat, delaying their efforts to extinguish the blaze.
The Director of the Nasarawa State Fire Service, Builder Ombogus-Joshua, confirmed the incident. He said his team received a distress call at 9:30 p.m. on Thursday and immediately deployed firefighters to the scene.
While Ombogus-Joshua disputed claims that 30 shops were destroyed, he declined to provide an exact figure, stating that investigations are ongoing to determine the extent of the damage and the cause of the fire.
The incident has left traders counting their losses as they await more information from authorities.
