Fire Destroys Goods Worth Millions in Moniya Market, Oyo State

A fire broke out at Moniya Market in the Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State on Monday, destroying goods worth millions of naira.

The blaze, which started around 12:30 a.m., is suspected to have been caused by a power surge.

During a visit to the scene, The PUNCH learned that the fire caused extensive damage, consuming valuable goods and cash stored by traders.

The Babaloja of Moniya Garage, Kolawole Balogun, and the Chairman of the Garage, Saliu Bello, stated that they were alerted to the incident by a security guard at about 12:30 a.m. Both expressed profound concern over the scale of the losses.

Balogun said, “As soon as I received the call, I rushed to the market. We lost goods worth millions of naira. Thankfully, the timely response of the fire service helped to limit the damage. However, apart from the goods, millions of naira in cash were also destroyed, as many traders store their earnings in their shops overnight.”

Several affected traders, including Yetunde Musa, Ajetunmobi Idowu, Olaide Badmus, Balogun Sulaimon, and Ajetunmobi Kolawole, have appealed to the government for urgent assistance to help them recover from the losses.