A massive fire swept through the popular mobile phone market in the Farm Centre area of Kano State on Friday, destroying more than 300 shops and causing damage estimated in the billions of naira.
The blaze, which reportedly raged for over six hours, gutted numerous shops selling mobile phones, accessories, and repair equipment.
Traders and eyewitnesses described the scene as devastating, with entire rows of shops reduced to ashes.
Jamilu Gama, chairman of the market, confirmed the scale of the destruction, noting that the most affected were stores specializing in phones and repair tools.
“In some shops, items worth between ₦50 million and ₦1 billion were completely lost,” Gama said.
He placed the overall damage at nearly ₦100 billion, calling the incident “unprecedented.”
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Authorities say investigations are ongoing.
As of the time of reporting, the Kano State Fire Service and emergency management agencies had not released an official statement regarding the incident.