By Musa Ubandawaki, Sokoto
SOKOTO – A massive fire on Sunday swept through the Popular Sokoto Old Market, gutting more than 30 shops and leaving dozens of traders counting heavy losses in a tragedy that has cast a shadow over the city’s commercial community.
Among the worst affected was the Group Three Marketing Shop, an upstairs complex housing multiple businesses, which was completely consumed by the blaze along with many adjoining stalls.
The fire, which broke out in the early hours of the day, destroyed large quantities of goods, including bags of rice, cartons of cooking oil, seasonings, and other essential food items worth millions of naira. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be officially determined, though some traders blamed persistent power outages and surges as a recurring threat to market safety.
Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes as shop owners scrambled to salvage whatever items they could before the flames engulfed their businesses.
“It was like watching years of hard work vanish in minutes,” said trader Malam Sani Zamau. “Some of us just restocked for the week.”
The Sokoto State Fire Service eventually brought the blaze under control after several hours of intense firefighting, preventing further spread. No casualties were reported, but the emotional toll on traders was evident as many sat beside the charred remains of their shops, unsure of how to recover.
Affected traders have appealed to the government and well-meaning individuals for urgent assistance, calling for improved fire safety measures, stable power supply, and support to help rebuild their livelihoods.
The incident underscores the vulnerability of markets across Nigeria to fire outbreaks and the urgent need for preventive infrastructure to protect small-scale traders, who form the backbone of local economies.
This latest fire comes shortly after the Sokoto State Government flagged off the reconstruction of the central Sokoto Market, which was gutted by fire in 2021 in a project reportedly costing billions of naira.
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