Traders at Singer Market, one of Kano’s major commodity hubs, are counting losses after an early morning fire razed parts of the market, destroying goods and property estimated to be worth billions of naira.
The inferno, which broke out in the early hours of Tuesday, was confirmed by the Kano State Fire Service. Its spokesperson, Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) Saminu Yusuf Abdullahi, said the service received a distress call at about 3:16 a.m. reporting a fire outbreak at the market.
it was gathered that the fire started from a large warehouse located within the MAZAF complex of the market. Due to the intensity of the blaze, a nearby two-storey building was engulfed and eventually collapsed.
Sources within the market said the affected buildings were heavily stocked with commodities such as cartons of biscuits, milk products, detergents, butter and smoked fish, leading to massive losses.
One of the affected traders, who spoke to our correspondent, said he was alerted while asleep and rushed to the market around 4:00 a.m.
“I was asleep when my phone rang. I was told that our market was on fire. I immediately called other business colleagues before rushing to the market. What I met was terrible. Over 30 stalls had been destroyed, with goods worth billions of naira. Many people have lost their entire business capital,” he said.
The fire incident attracted shop owners, market management officials and residents of the area, as firefighting teams battled to contain the blaze. Firefighters from the Kano State Fire Service, the Federal Fire Service and the fire unit of the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport were deployed to the scene.
Chairman of Singer Market, Barrister Junaidu Muhammad, described the incident as unfortunate, saying traders had lost investments running into billions of naira.
“Assessment of the damage is still ongoing, but traders have lost a huge amount of their investments,” he said.
An uploader at the market said the fire was first noticed around 3:00 a.m. while goods were being offloaded.
“We noticed light smoke coming out from the MAZAF warehouse. When it became serious, we alerted the market security and moved our vehicle away from the area,” he said.
Meanwhile, the head of the Kano office of the Federal Fire Service, ASF Alhassan Ahmad, said two people were trapped in the debris of the collapsed stalls but were rescued alive.
“They sustained minor injuries and are currently receiving treatment at a medical facility,” he said, adding that preliminary findings suggested the fire may have been caused by an electrical spark in one of the shops.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Gidan Mangaro, Alhaji Abba Usman, said he was informed about the incident around 4:00 a.m. and met firefighters already battling the blaze on arrival.
“The Kano State Fire Service responded promptly, even before I arrived. Aspire Company and Mamuda Group also supported the firefighting efforts, and we are very grateful,” he said.
Alhaji Abba disclosed that one of the affected stores alone contained goods valued at about N30 million, all of which were destroyed. A witness, Kamal Sani, said at least three large stores containing food items and detergents were razed.
“By the time I arrived about 30 minutes after the fire started, one store had already been engulfed and it later spread to others. At least eight fire service trucks were deployed, with additional water tankers provided by private companies,” he said.
However, the Kano State Fire Service said investigations were ongoing to determine the exact cause of the fire, the number of shops affected and the total value of losses incurred.
5 major fire incidents at Kano’s Singer market
For traders in Singer Market, one of Kano’s busiest commodity and provision market hubs, fire outbreaks have become a recurring nightmare. Over the past ten years, the market has witnessed multiple infernos that destroyed goods worth billions of naira, leaving traders devastated and raising questions about safety measures in the state’s commercial centres.
The warehouse affected by the fire
April 2016
Dozens of shops were razed in the market during an early morning blaze. Traders dealing in foodstuff and provision wares lost goods worth millions of naira. The incident marked one of the first large-scale fire disasters in the market within the past decade. The fire was suspected to have been caused by electrical fault in one of the shops.
December 2018
A massive fire consumed more than 70 shops, destroying commodities valued in tens of millions. Firefighters battled the flames for hours, but congestion and lack of hydrants hindered their efforts. The scale of destruction left many traders without means of livelihood. It is believed to have started from illegal electrical connections in temporary shops.
March 2023
Several shops were gutted in another outbreak, smaller in scale but still devastating for affected traders. Goods worth millions were lost. The fire was linked to careless handling of electrical appliances.
November 12, 2025
At about 5:00 a.m., a fire started from a temporary shop attached to Abdulmunafi Yunusa House. The inferno destroyed 44 shops including 25 temporary structures and 19 permanent stores. Properties worth millions of naira went up in flames, with traders counting heavy losses. The fire, according to report, was said to have started from a temporary shop attached to Abdulmunafi Yunusa House. It was linked to faulty wiring.
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fire fighters at work at the scene of the incident
The most recent incident occurred in the early hours of yesterday morning, between 1:00 and 5:00 a.m. Flames engulfed three large stores and two market blocks (Gidan Mazaf and Gidan Mangaro). Commodities valued in hundreds of millions of naira were destroyed before firefighters contained the blaze.
Shop owners rushed to salvage goods, but many were left with nothing. Although investigation into the cause of the fire is still ongoing, early reports point to electrical faults in one of the large stores affected.
Singer Market, located along Bello Road in Kano metropolis, is one of the largest commodity markets in northern Nigeria. It serves as a major hub for the distribution of food items, household goods, and textiles, supplying traders across the North and even neighbouring countries of west and central Africa. Hundreds of trailers supply goods daily to the market.
The market is strategically surrounded by Sabon Gari market in the North, Kantin Kwari textile market in the South, Wapa motorcycles and Bureau de Change markets in the West and the regional offices of many commercial bank’s headquarters in the East.
The market’s economic significance is immense as billions of naira in transactions take place daily, making it a lifeline for thousands of families.
Each inferno not only destroys traders’ livelihoods but also disrupts the flow of essential commodities, leading to shortages and price hikes across northern Nigeria.
The repeated incidents over the past decade have exposed the fragile infrastructure of this vital marketplace, where congestion, poor wiring, and lack of fire safety systems continue to put billions of naira worth of goods at risk.
Dr Abdussalam Muhammad Kani, a Kano-based economist, lecturer, and development consultant, who lectures at Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education in Kano State, said frequent fire outbreaks have serious implication on the country’s economy. According to him, depending on the gravity and the nature of the outbreak, some of its economic repercussions include losses of huge investments in terms of capital, money and property.
He added that, “There is going to be job losses. Many individuals that are earning their living in the market, some will be temporarily laid off, and some may even be permanently, because definitely the shops that are seriously affected would have no alternative than to either ask their employees to stay at home for a certain period of time.
“That will culminate into unemployment, poverty, and you know, when you take on employment poverty, that may equally lead to insecurity and other social vices in the society. And when you look at it from the perspective of government, you know, as a businessman, you are only expected to pay tax when you earn an income.
“And if you look at it, the outbreak of the fire will definitely hinder businesses from tax obligation, because it is only when a profit is realised that is when you are going to pay tax. And now there is an outbreak of fire, implying that no profit will likely be made at the end of the year,” he added.
Dr Kani also said in the interim, the fire may hinder customers going there to buy commodities, “because any person that hears of the outbreak of fire in a particular market, may not want to visit that market”.
Barau, others commiserate with traders
The Deputy President of the Senate, Barau I. Jibrin, alongside other political leaders and stakeholders, have commiserated with traders affected by the early morning fire outbreak.
In his message, Senator Barau said he received the news of the fire with deep concern, noting that many shop owners suffered significant losses as a result of the incident.
“I sympathise with the traders and shop owners who suffered losses due to this unfortunate incident. May Almighty Allah replace their items with something far better,” he said.
The Deputy Senate President also commended the Kano State Fire Service for its prompt response, which he said helped to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to other sections of the market. He prayed for divine protection against future disasters.
Similarly, a House of Representatives aspirant for Wudil/Garko Federal Constituency, Dr Umar Shehu Umar, described the incident as a painful blow to the victims, stressing that beyond the destruction of goods, years of hard work and hope were lost.
“My heart goes out to the traders and families whose sources of livelihood were suddenly reduced to ashes. This incident is not just a loss of goods, but a loss of sweat, hope and years of sacrifice,” he said.
Dr Umar called on the government and relevant authorities to urgently intervene by providing immediate relief and long-term support to enable affected traders to recover and rebuild their businesses.
Also reacting, businessman and philanthropist A.A. Zaura sympathised with the victims, describing Singer Market as a critical commercial hub in Northern Nigeria. He prayed for divine compensation for the traders.
Authorities are still assessing the extent of damage caused by the fire, just as investigation into the cause of the outbreak is ongoing.