Oyo State Acting Governor, Abdulraheem Lawal expressed sympathy to traders affected by the devastating fire that swept through Oranyan Market, pledging government support and measures to restore the damaged trading hub.

The midnight blaze, which occurred in the Ibadan North-East Local Government Area of Oyo State, destroyed shops and goods belonging to traders dealing in jewellery, furniture, second-hand clothing and other merchandise.

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Initial eyewitness accounts put the number of affected shops at nearly 300, although fire service officials said a definitive figure would only be established after a full assessment.

The fire reportedly began around midnight on Sunday before spreading through sections of the market.

The cause remained unclear on Monday, although the Oyo State Fire Service said the incident started following an explosion in the middle of the market.

Morof Akinwande, Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Reforms and Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Services, cautioned against relying on preliminary estimates of the damage.

He said the situation had been brought under control by 1am, while investigations would determine the precise number of shops destroyed and the value of property lost.

For traders, however, the immediate reality was the loss of businesses and livelihoods built over years.

Lawal, through a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, described the incident as a tragic setback for hardworking traders and their families.

“I received with deep sadness the news of the fire outbreak that occurred at Oranyan Market, Ibadan,” Lawal said, adding that the incident had caused “untold hardship” to traders who lost their goods and means of livelihood.

The acting governor said emergency response teams had been deployed to assess the destruction and promised immediate relief for victims.

“Beyond emergency support, we are committed to putting in place measures that will help restore the market and prevent future occurrences,” Lawal said.

The government also commended the Oyo State Fire Service and security agencies for their response, while urging affected traders and residents to remain calm.

The latest Lawal market fire relief pledge comes against the backdrop of recurring market fires in Ibadan and other parts of Oyo State.

Oranyan Market itself suffered another serious fire in September 2024, when more than 40 shops in its herbal section were destroyed and multimillion-naira property was lost.

No death was reported in that incident.

The recurrence has renewed concerns about fire prevention, emergency access and safety infrastructure in the state’s commercial centres.

The latest incident also came only two days after nine locked-up shops at the Nigerian Railway Shopping Complex along Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan were reportedly destroyed by fire.

Beyond the immediate promise of relief, the challenge for the Oyo State Government will be translating sympathy into practical support for affected traders and strengthening preventive measures before another outbreak compounds the losses.

For the traders of Oranyan Market, the priority is now recovery.

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As investigations continue into what triggered the blaze, the scale of the destruction is expected to become clearer, along with the level of assistance required to help businesses rebuild.