A series of devastating fire outbreaks has ravaged Kano’s popular Singer Market, prompting widespread concern and calls for comprehensive investigations into the recurring infernos. The latest incident, which occurred over a recent weekend, engulfed over 1,000 shops and several residential buildings, reducing them to ashes with estimated losses exceeding N5 billion and seven persons declared missing. This catastrophic event follows another significant fire that destroyed dozens of shops at the same market less than two weeks prior, highlighting profound structural, safety, and regulatory failures.

Singer Market holds immense economic importance as the largest commodity hub in northern Nigeria, supplying goods to states across the region and extending its reach to neighbouring West and Central African countries. The scale of destruction from the latest blaze is immense, with the market’s chairman, Alhaji Junaid Zakari, confirming the loss of property worth over N5 billion, impacting more than 1,000 businesses, and the disappearance of seven individuals. Affected traders, such as Alhaji Isa Abubakar and Musa Ibrahim, reported personal losses of over N200 million and N340 million respectively, lamenting the complete destruction of their livelihoods.

Eyewitnesses recounted how the fire, reportedly originating from a large provision store, raged for hours, overwhelming intervention efforts from the Kano State Fire Service, private water tankers, and support from companies like Aspira Nigeria Limited, Umza, and Gongoni. The recurring nature of these fires has led traders and experts to identify several critical factors. A primary concern is the extreme congestion within the market, characterized by densely packed shops, kiosks, and residential buildings often repurposed as storage facilities for highly flammable goods. This cramped environment, combined with narrow pathways and poorly planned layouts, severely impedes evacuation and delays emergency response, with firefighting trucks frequently struggling to access affected areas.

Traders also pointed to the resistance against past efforts by market leaders to relocate large stores to alternative, more spacious markets, a decision that has exacerbated congestion and elevated fire risks. Furthermore, a significant number of traders and experts suspect faulty solar installations as a potential trigger for the outbreaks. They cite poorly installed lithium solar batteries, substandard wiring, and the practice of leaving solar systems running overnight without proper shutdown procedures as dangerous ignition sources. Nasir Ibrahim, a trader, specifically suggested an an explosion from a lithium solar battery in one of the shops as a likely cause of the latest blaze, which rapidly spread through the Gidan Glass section of the market.

Dr. Sulaiman Yunus, a disaster management specialist at Bayero University, Kano, reinforced these concerns, attributing most market fire incidents to anthropogenic factors, particularly negligence, faulty electrical wiring, and inadequately installed solar systems. He advocated for a proactive rather than reactive approach to safety, emphasizing the need for proper wiring, readily available extinguishers, and modern firefighting strategies, noting that his doctoral research on this very issue had been presented to the state government.

In response to the tragedy, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu expressed deep commiseration with the victims and the people of Kano State, ordering a comprehensive investigation into the causes of the infernos. The President, who had earlier engaged with Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for a situation report, described the incident as tragic and expressed alarm that it occurred so soon after a previous fire. To demonstrate federal support, Vice President Kashim Shettima was mandated to lead a high-powered federal government delegation to Kano. This delegation, comprising prominent figures like the Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, Deputy Senate President Senator Barau Jibrin, and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Bernard M. Doro, was tasked with conveying condolences, pledging financial assistance, and facilitating the swift reopening of the market.

Deputy President of the Senate, Barau I. Jibrin, personally visited Singer Market, donating N100 million to affected traders and promising to facilitate the provision of modern fire control facilities. Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, during his visit to the scene, urged calm and cooperation, appealing to the federal government for urgent modern firefighting equipment, including air support, to enhance Kano’s emergency response capabilities.

Solidarity and calls for action also came from regional bodies. The Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF), through its chairman Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, expressed deep sympathy, highlighting the need for urgent, comprehensive, and technology-driven preventive measures, including modern fire detection and suppression systems, improved market planning, and stricter safety regulation enforcement. The Southern Governors’ Forum, led by Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, and the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Kano State Chapter, similarly conveyed their condolences and urged authorities to implement robust measures to prevent future occurrences and enhance emergency preparedness in major markets.

The Kano State government had previously explored relocating some markets to the new commercial hub, Kano Economic City in Dangwauro, along Kano-Zaria Road, with pharmaceutical traders already moved and blocks for other markets under development. However, specific timelines for Singer Market’s final relocation remain unconfirmed, despite acknowledgments from market leaders that trader resistance to past relocation attempts has worsened the current perilous conditions. While investigations into the exact cause are ongoing, the collective response underscores the urgent need for systemic changes to ensure the safety and resilience of vital economic centers like Singer Market.