Property and other valuables worth millions of naira have been lost to a fire incident that gutted the popular Oranyan Market in Ibadan North-East Local Government Area of Oyo State, on Sunday night.
The affected shops included jewellery shops, furniture outlets, second-hand clothing shops and others.
The cause of the fire, which started in one of the shops before spreading to others, had yet to be ascertained as of the time of filing this report. 
A trader, who simply identified herself as Iya Alia, said, “The fire started around midnight. I cannot be specific about that time. And those affected were gold sellers, furniture shops, second-hand clothes shops and many others. The shops affected were almost 300.”
Another eyewitness, who did not want his name in print, said, “This is devastating. This is huge. I don’t even know how to explain it. Close to 300 shops were destroyed.”
When contacted by our correspondent on Monday in Ibadan, the state capital, the Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Reforms and Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Services, Morof Akinwande, confirmed the incident.
He said, “Yes, it occurred. That number we cannot ascertain, but what is known is that some shops were destroyed and the fire incident started in the middle of the market with an explosion.
“Whether it’s a gas explosion or other things, when you have a gas explosion, it would spread. But as I’m talking to you, the situation has been under control since 1am.
“On the number of shops and inventory, that is too early because that’s part of the post-fire outbreak investigation. So, I cannot be accurate about the number of shops that were destroyed. But shops were actually gone.”
Nigerian Tribune reports that a similar incident occurred at the herbal section of the market in 2024, when over 200 shops were completely razed.
It will also be recalled that a fire incident on Saturday, August 22, 2026, razed nine locked-up shops at the Nigerian Railway Shopping Complex, located along the popular Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan South-West Local Government Area of Oyo State.
