Fir£ Razes Araromi Spare-Parts Market In Ibadan; Destroying Good Worth Billions of Naira

A fir£ broke out early Saturday morning, destr+ying properties and goods at the Araromi auto spare parts market in Agodi, Ibadan North East local government area.

Eyewitnesses reported that the blaze began around midnight.

Residents from nearby neighborhoods, including Odejayi and Onipasan, were alerted by thick smoke rising from the market. Local attempts to control the fir£ were unsuccessful, and some individuals exploited the chaos to loot shops, stealing goods worth millions of naira.

Shop owner Karimu estimated his losses at over 25 million naira. He recounted, “I live around Thy Will area in Amuloko. I got a call from a friend around 2:45 AM saying ‘Iso Pati’ was on fir£. I rushed to the market with a landlord on a motorcycle, but by the time I arrived, the damage was done. I had just received a shipment of auto spare parts. I’ve lost everything and appeal for government assistance.”

Akinyemi Akinyinka, General Manager of Oyo State Fire Services, raised concerns about looters invading shops during the fir£. “Despite our efforts to extinguish the flames, we faced harassment from hoodlums who broke into shops at Araromi Agodi-Gate,” he said.

The fir£ reportedly started around 2 AM and continued to rage as firefighters struggled to contain it. Akinyinka urged water tanker owners to assist in the response. The cause of the fir£ remains under investigation.

This incident occurred just a day after another fir£ in the Ori-Eru area of Idikan resulted in the tragic deaths of a husband, wife, and their grandson. Reports indicated that five individuals were rescued during that incident.

Additionally, the Oyo State Fire Services recently averted a potential explosion of a gas truck along the Ibadan/Lagos Expressway in Agidigbo. Akinyinka noted that the agency received the fire report at 12:10 PM and responded promptly, managing to control the blaze before it escalated.