The Oyo State Fire Services Agency has revealed that a total of 246 fire incidents were recorded across the state in 2025.
Dr. Maroof Adebayo Akinwande, Chairman of the agency and Special Adviser on Fire Reform to Governor Seyi Makinde, made the disclosure during an interview with journalists on Thursday.
Providing an overview of the agency’s operations for the year, Dr. Akinwande stated that 42 people were rescued alive from various emergencies in the state, while 30 bodies were recovered.
He also noted that the agency received 10 false emergency calls during the year.
Giving a month-by-month account of the fire incidents, Dr. Akinwande said, “29 cases were recorded in January, 27 in February, 22 in March, 24 in April, 24 in May, and 17 in June. We recorded 15 cases in July, 14 in August, 24 in September, 13 in October, 13 in November, and 21 cases in December.”
He further disclosed that 116 residential buildings, 38 shops, 14 vehicles, and 21 petroleum tankers were affected by fire in 2025.
Dr. Akinwande urged the public to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions to prevent fire outbreaks, adding that the state government has taken steps to strengthen the agency’s capacity.
“The total breakdown: we attended to 246 fire incidents in 2025. We received 10 false calls, I mean, people that called us, and we found out that it did not happen,” he said.
“We attended to 95 special services. We rescued 42 people alive. Victims recovered from suspected death were 30. Overall total is 353.”
“We want to thank the media for reporting our activities. It is to show people that these things are happening and that they must be aware. It will help to motivate people to be safety conscious.”
Dr. Akinwande also highlighted the state government’s efforts to enhance operational efficiency, “Let me tell you that in order to ensure that we perform better, the Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, has ordered the procurement of some equipment.”
“What the state government has done is that it has awarded the purchase of seven brand new firefighting pieces of equipment to a contractor, and we are expecting delivery within the next three to six months.”
“Firefighting auxiliaries have been paid for. The government has ordered the purchase of tyres and batteries for our vehicles. The governor has increased our operational costs. Not only that, the governor has approved the recruitment of 100 firefighters. They are undergoing training now.”
“What the governor is saying is that if you have all this equipment and no one to handle it, it is as if you are doing nothing. So, the governor has ordered the recruitment of 100 firefighters. We are operating 24 hours a day.”
“The governor is also trying to improve the standard of living of our men to encourage us to do more. These are the things the government is doing to ensure effective and efficient service delivery of the agency.”
