FIRE has gutted a section of the Agbeni market, one of the popular fabric markets in Ibadan, Oyo state.
The Oyo State Fire Service confirmed this to newsmen on Sunday, May 14.
According to the General Manager of the Fire Service, Yemi Akinyemi, said that the agency received a distress call at 4:37am from one Sunday Ogundele, a security officer at Access Bank that the market was on fire.
Ogundele said firefighters had been able to put the inferno under control.
He said, “As I speak with you, our men are still battling with the job, we are grateful to the Central Bank of Nigeria that allows us to use their water supply.
“Everything is under control. They are still going to CBN to replenish.”
He said that the cause of the fire was unknown, and authorities had launched an investigation into the incident.
The incident is not the first of its kind to occur in the state as there had been several reports of fire outbreaks in markets across Oyo State.
The most notable of these incidents occurred in 2020 when the Akesan market in Ibadan was destroyed by fire, causing millions of naira in damages.
In August the same year, the Dugbe market, also located in Ibadan, suffered a similar fate.
In April this year, fire gutted the Bodija popular plank market in the state. Properties worth millions of naira were also lost to the inferno.
You can reach out to me on Twitter via: vincent_ufuoma