A fire outbreak has destroyed 2,275 bags of onions in Kojiyo community, Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State, leaving farmers with losses estimated at ₦56.8 million.
The incident, which occurred on Friday afternoon, affected about 65 traditional onion storage huts.
Witnesses said the blaze started around 2 p.m. and burned for several hours before it was eventually brought under control. No casualties were recorded, but the damage to livelihoods has been severe.
Confirming the development, the National President of the Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, Aliyu Isah Maitasamu, said each of the affected huts stored roughly 35 bags of onions.
“A total of 2,275 bags were lost in the fire, and with each bag valued at about ₦25,000, the estimated loss is ₦56.8 million,” he said.
Maitasamu noted that farmers had previously been warned about fire risks associated with traditional storage methods.
“We have consistently advised against unsafe practices because these storage structures, often made from dry materials, are highly flammable,” he added, stressing that investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
Despite the magnitude of the loss, he expressed confidence that the situation would not significantly affect market prices.
“This quantity is not large enough to trigger a sharp increase in onion prices,” he said.
However, affected farmers described the incident as devastating. One of them, Abdullahi S. Rima, who lost over 200 bags, said the fire wiped out his entire stock.
“It is a painful experience. Everything I stored has been completely destroyed,” he lamented.
Another farmer, Nura Arzika Magaji, who lost 70 bags, said the loss had left his family in a difficult situation.
“We depend on selling gradually to sustain our households, but now we have nothing left, not even food,” he said.
Similarly, Ashafa Muhammad, who lost 35 bags, described the incident as a tragedy.
“We are mourning because this was our only means of survival. We believe it is the will of Allah,” he said.
A security guard at the facility, Abubakar Maigadi, said he was unaware of how the fire started.
“I woke up to the flames. I couldn’t save anything, even my personal belongings were burnt,” he said.
The village head of Kojiyo, Muhammadu Sani Sarkin Rima, said the fire had left many families stranded.
“Several households have lost everything they relied on. Each hut contained between 35 and 38 bags of onions,” he explained, appealing for urgent assistance.
He called on relevant authorities and emergency agencies to support affected farmers, warning that recovery may be difficult without intervention.
Reacting to the development, the Public Relations Officer of the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency, Abdullahi Ghani, said the agency had yet to receive an official report.
“We are not aware of the incident at the moment, but once we receive a report, we will conduct an assessment,” he said.
Community members have expressed concern that the losses could impact local supply if farmers are unable to recover before the next planting season.
