A massive fire outbreak has devastated Singer Market in Kano, destroying properties estimated at over N5 billion, affecting more than 1,000 businesses and leaving seven persons reported missing.
The Chairman of the market, Alhaji Junaid Zakari, disclosed the scale of the destruction to the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday, describing the incident as one of the worst tragedies in the market’s history.
According to him, four residential buildings that also housed small-scale businesses were completely razed, with goods, equipment and valuables burnt beyond recovery.
Zakari said seven individuals were declared missing as of the time of filing the report, adding that investigations were ongoing to determine their whereabouts and confirm whether they were alive or dead.
Emergency responders and security agencies have since launched efforts to uncover the cause of the inferno.
“This is a tragedy that will never be forgotten in the history of this market,” Zakari said, stressing the urgent need for government and private sector support to help affected traders rebuild their livelihoods.
Zakari commended Abba Yusuf for visiting the scene while the fire was still raging, describing the governor’s swift response as a demonstration of solidarity with victims.
Authorities have yet to officially determine the cause of the blaze, as traders continued salvaging whatever remnants they could find amid the charred structures.
Several shop owners recounted staggering losses running into hundreds of millions of naira.
Alhaji Isa Abubakar, a trader, said he lost goods worth over N200 million.
“From God we come, to Him we shall return,” he said. “I am here, and it is heartbreaking to see goods worth billions of naira destroyed by fire.”
Another trader, Musa Ibrahim, said he lost merchandise valued at more than N340 million.
“The fire had consumed everything we had,” he said, pointing to the ruins of his shop.
Singer Market is a major commercial hub in Kano, serving thousands of traders and customers daily. The latest incident adds to concerns about fire safety and emergency response capacity in densely populated markets across Nigeria.
