Traders Count Losses as Fire Guts Popular Herbal Market in Ibadan

Traders at the popular Bode Traditional Herbs and Other Products Market, widely known as Iso Alagbo, in the Ibadan South-West Local Government Area of Oyo State, have been left counting their losses after a devastating fire razed several shops in the early hours of Friday.

The inferno, which reportedly began in one of the market’s shops, quickly spread to neighbouring stalls before emergency responders arrived at the scene.

Although the exact cause of the fire had not been officially determined as of the time of filing this report, the blaze destroyed large quantities of herbs, traditional medicine products and other goods worth millions of naira, according to affected traders.

The incident threw the market into confusion as traders watched helplessly while flames consumed their shops and merchandise. Many were seen lamenting the destruction of their businesses, with some breaking down in tears over the losses.

One of the affected traders, identified simply as Mama Kaila, described the incident as one of the worst the market had experienced in recent years.

“It has been a long time since we experienced this kind of incident in the market. The market leadership always advises us to be careful with the electrical appliances in our various shops. Our losses cannot be quantified. All I can say for now is that they run into millions of naira,” she said.

Despite the extensive damage to property, she expressed gratitude that no lives were lost in the incident.

“However, we thank God that no life was lost in the incident. I also thank the officials of the Oyo State Fire Service for their prompt response to the incident,” she added.

Officials of the Oyo State Fire Service were said to have responded swiftly to the emergency and battled the flames, preventing the fire from spreading to other sections of the busy market.

The extent of the financial losses is yet to be officially assessed, while traders have appealed to the state government and well-meaning individuals for support to help them rebuild their businesses.

Authorities are expected to investigate the cause of the fire as efforts continue to assess the full scale of the damage.