A devastating fire has swept through the popular Singer Market in Kano, destroying goods worth billions of naira and leaving at least seven people unaccounted for.
The blaze, which affected more than 1,000 businesses, also consumed four residential buildings used for small-scale commercial activities, wiping out sources of income for hundreds of traders and their families.
Chairman of the market, Junaid Zakari, described the incident as one of the worst disasters in the market’s history.
“This is a tragedy we will not forget for a long time. Properties worth over five billion naira have been lost, and many traders have been left with nothing,” he said.
Zakari confirmed that seven individuals were reported missing as emergency officials continued search efforts and investigations into the cause of the fire.
“Security agencies and emergency responders are still working to determine what triggered the inferno and to establish the fate of those declared missing,” he added.
Many traders were seen sifting through the debris in an attempt to salvage what remained of their businesses.
One of the victims, Isa Abubakar, said the disaster erased years of investment.
“I lost goods worth more than two hundred million naira. Watching everything burn was heartbreaking. We can only pray for strength to start again,” he lamented.
Another trader, Musa Ibrahim, also recounted the scale of his losses.
“The fire consumed everything I had. It is difficult to imagine how we will recover from this,” he said.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf visited the scene while the fire was still raging, a move the market leadership said reassured affected traders.
Zakari praised the governor’s swift response and solidarity with victims, noting that the visit showed government concern for those affected.
Earlier, the governor had appealed to the Federal Government to provide modern firefighting support, including advanced equipment and possible aerial assistance, especially following reports that the market had experienced another fire outbreak within a short period.
