Kano’s popular Farm Centre GSM mobile phone market has been gutted by fire on Friday, the day of Eid al-Adha.
The fire, which rapidly engulfed numerous shops, has reportedly destroyed millions of Naira worth of phones, accessories, and other valuable goods, casting a pall over the holiday for many traders.
Eyewitnesses at the bustling market described chaos as the blaze quickly spread through the tightly packed stalls.
According to one witness, the fire, which consumed phones and other valuables worth millions of Naira, was “said to have been caused by a spark from a converter supplying power to some of the shops.” Initial efforts by traders and bystanders to control the rapidly advancing flames proved futile.
“No attempts to keep the fire off by the fire service as of the time of writing this report,” a News Central Crew member on the ground stated, indicating a critical delay in the arrival of emergency services as the inferno raged.
The News Central Crew reports that the Kano State Fire Service and the Kano State Police Command are expected to provide comprehensive details of the incident, including the full extent of the damage and the official cause, any time soon.
The full economic impact on the market, a vital hub for mobile phone trade across northern Nigeria, is yet to be ascertained, but traders are already bracing for immense losses.
