Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Traders at the popular Bode Traditional Herbs and Other Products Market, widely known as Iso Alagbo, in the Ibadan South-West Local Government Area of Oyo State, are counting their losses following a devastating fire that swept through the market in the early hours of Friday, July 3, 2026.
The fire broke out at about 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, according to eyewitnesses, before spreading rapidly through the market, destroying numerous shops and traditional herbal merchandise worth millions of naira. Countless stalls containing rare traditional herbs used for treating various ailments, alongside other valuable goods and property, were completely reduced to ashes.
According to reliable sources, the inferno reportedly started in one of the shops before rapidly spreading to adjoining stalls, leaving behind extensive destruction and losses that are yet to be fully quantified. The affected traders, many of whom gathered in small groups at the market, were still struggling to come to terms with the scale of the devastation. While some attributed the incident to a power surge, others expressed differing opinions on the possible cause of the fire.
One of the affected traders, who identified herself simply as Mama Kaila, described the incident as one of the worst the market had experienced in years. "It's been a long time since we experienced this kind of incident in the market," she said. "The market leadership always advises us to be careful with the electrical appliances in our various shops. Our losses cannot be quantified. All I can say for now is that they run into millions of naira. However, we thank God that no life was lost in the incident. I also thank the officials of the Oyo State Fire Service for their prompt response to the incident."
Giving his eyewitness account, the market's youth leader, Adebimpe, said trading activities usually begin at 7:00 a.m. and end at 7:00 p.m., after which all traders are expected to vacate the premises once the closing bell is sounded. He recalled that many traders had already returned home when residents living close to the market alerted them to the emergency. "We normally resume business here around 7.00 a.m. and close by 7.00 p.m. Whenever the closing bell is rung in the evening, everyone is expected to leave the market," he said. "Some of us had already returned home when those who live close to the market started calling us at about 10.00 p.m. to inform us that the market was on fire."
Firefighters were promptly deployed to the scene and succeeded in bringing the fire under control, preventing it from spreading to adjoining shops and other parts of the market. As of press time, the cause of the inferno had not been established, and the Oyo State Fire Service had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
Bode Market is one of the largest commercial centres in Ibadan and serves as a major hub for the trade of herbs, traditional medicine ingredients and animal skins, attracting traders and buyers from across the South-West and other parts of the country. No casualties had been reported as of press time, while investigations into the cause of the fire are expected to commence.
The incident comes only weeks after a similar fire outbreak occurred at Dugbe Market in Ibadan, raising fresh concerns over the frequency of fire disasters in the city's major commercial centres. Authorities are expected to provide further details as assessment of the damage continues.
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