A late-night fire has devastated the popular Akinola market in Ipetumodu, headquarters of the Ife-North local government area, destroying food items worth millions of naira._
The fire, which broke out after last Friday’s market sales, reportedly began in the yam section before spreading to other areas of the weekly market, which operates primarily on Fridays.
According to eyewitnesses, the fire caused significant damage to food commodities, drawing sympathizers to the market early Saturday morning to console affected traders.
Sola Omilana, a local resident, shared that the market was filled with people expressing their condolences and assessing the extent of the damage.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Osun State, Kehinde Adeleke, attributed the fire to negligence by shop owners.
“Preliminary findings revealed that the fire resulted from dirt set ablaze by shop owners after the day’s business. Unfortunately, they failed to extinguish it properly before leaving the market at night,” Adeleke explained.
She added that food items worth millions of naira were destroyed in the incident, causing significant losses for the affected traders.
The authorities have urged market stakeholders to prioritize safety measures to prevent future occurrences.