Oyo State government has commiserated with traders that lost their properties as an early morning fire outbreak destroyed shops and goods worth millions of naira at the popular Bola Ige International Market, new Gbagi Ibadan on Monday.
The fire outbreak which razed six (6) shops full of different types of fabrics did not claim any life.
According to the Chairman, Bola Ige International Market, Alhaji Ganiyu Adebayo who confirmed the incident to journalists, the fire outbreak began at about 7:00am adding that the fire service station at Gbagi market was alerted and they responded promptly to put out the inferno.
“I was at home this morning when they called me that there was a fire outbreak at rashlad and kudus lines part of the market, I was informed that a woman lighted a candle in her shop early this morning and did not put it off and closed the shop.
“The firefighters did very well, they prevented the inferno from spreading to other parts of the market., ” he added.
Also confirming the incident, a member of Market Council of Elders, in the market, Alhaji Rasheed Oladepo explained what caused the fire incident.
He said, ” It is not electrical appliances that caused the fire outbreak, according to the reports we got from those that witnessed it, they told us that the shop that caused the fire outbreak had opened as early as 7:00am, that the owner of the shop lighted a candle for prayers and left it there till it spread out.”
He advised traders in the market to be careful and conscious while they seek spiritual help so as not to affect others and as well stop cooking food in their shops in order to prevent fire disaster of such.
However, the Oyo State Honourable Commissioner, Ministry for Trade, Industry Investment and Cooperatives, Barrister Olasunkanmi Olaleye visited the scene of the incident with some ministry officials to commiserate with the affected traders and see the extent of the damage done by the blaze.
Barrister Olaleye who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Dr ‘Bunmi Babalola, thanked God that lives were not lost but was sad that properties were lost to the preventable inferno.
He subsequently admonished traders on the need to always take measures to prevent fire outbreak and later invited the Market Executives to a meeting with the Ministry’s management on Tuesday.
