An inferno at the Sabon Gari market in Zaria, Kaduna State, gutted approximately 150 shops, with goods worth an estimated N6 billion destroyed. The Head of Corporate Affairs for the Kaduna Electric Company (KEDCO), Abdul Azeez Abdullahi, has refuted claims that electricity sparks caused the fire.
According to Abdullahi, reports received indicate that the fire incident began in one of the shops at the ‘Yan Katako’ Market in Sabon Gari Zaria. Witnesses stated that the fire started around 1 am, when the market was mostly empty except for a few security personnel who were unable to control the situation.
A local official reported that efforts to engage fire service agencies in the area were unsuccessful. The Chairman of Timbershed confirmed that over 150 shops were completely destroyed in the fire. A state government official estimated the value of goods lost during the incident to be around N6 billion.
