A devastating fire outbreak at the historic Singer Market in Kano has left seven persons missing and destroyed no fewer than 1,000 shops, with traders estimating total losses at over ₦5 billion.
The inferno, which broke out on Saturday evening at the Gidan Glass section of the market, raged through the night into Sunday morning, razing at least four residential buildings housing small-scale traders and consuming goods, equipment and personal valuables.
Chairman of the market, Junaid Zakari, described the incident as one of the worst tragedies in the history of the commercial hub, saying hundreds of families had been left without livelihoods.
He added that emergency responders and security agencies were working to determine the cause of the fire and locate those declared missing.
Several shop owners recounted huge losses. Isa Abubakar said he lost goods worth more than ₦200 million, while Musa Ibrahim put his losses at over ₦340 million.
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According to them, decades of hard work were wiped out within hours.
President Bola Tinubu expressed deep concern over the incident and directed a comprehensive investigation into the repeated fire outbreaks at the market, noting that a similar blaze had occurred less than two weeks earlier.
Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, who visited the scene, called on the Federal Government to provide modern firefighting equipment, including air support, to strengthen response capacity and prevent future disasters.
He commended the Kano State Fire Service and security agencies for their efforts and urged residents and traders to remain calm.
Also reacting, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, national leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), appealed to government agencies, humanitarian organisations and private sector actors to mobilise resources urgently to support affected traders.
Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory, Mariya Mahmoud, described the incident as heartbreaking and called for urgent relief for victims, as well as improved safety standards, fire-prevention measures and public awareness to avert future occurrences.
Singer Market is one of Kano’s oldest and busiest commercial centres, providing livelihoods for thousands of traders and supporting many households.
The latest disaster has dealt a major blow to the local economy and renewed calls for stronger fire safety infrastructure across the state.
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