Fire destroys Kano mobile phone market

A massive fire tore through Kano’s major mobile phone market on Friday, leaving hundreds of shops completely destroyed and causing financial losses estimated in the billions of naira.

According to the market chairman, Jamilu Gama, the inferno raged for nearly seven hours before it was finally brought under control by emergency responders. The most affected sections were those dealing in mobile phones and accessories, where traders lost entire inventories to the flames.

Gama described the destruction as extensive and heartbreaking, noting that many traders had invested their life savings in goods that were wiped out in a matter of hours.

“There was a huge loss of property and assets. In a single shop, you could find items worth N500 million, and in some cases, up to N1 billion — all completely burnt,” Gama said.

According to his estimates, the total value of goods lost in the inferno could be as high as N100 billion.

At the time of reporting, the cause of the fire had not yet been determined.