Fire has destroyed goods and household merchandise valued at millions of naira in Gbaji Market in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, after flames swept through a section of the trading hub on Thursday night.
Fire incident at Gbaji Market
- The blaze broke out on Thursday night at Gbaji Market, which sits along the Ibadan-Ife Expressway.
- At least eight large shops were hit, with goods and domestic items inside the premises damaged or destroyed.
- Firefighters arrived to find several stores already burning, with heavy smoke rising from the affected part of the market.
- The Oyo State Fire Service contained the blaze before it could move to additional shops, limiting what could have become wider property losses.
Maroof Akinwande, chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, confirmed the incident on Friday morning and said no deaths or injuries were reported.
He said eight major shops were affected, while the agency’s response helped prevent the flames from spreading further across the market.
Access constraints
Emergency crews faced difficulty reaching the fire because illegal structures and goods placed on internal market roads blocked access routes. The obstructions restricted the movement of firefighting vehicles and delayed free passage to the scene, Akinwande said.
