Traders at Damboa Motor Park in Maiduguri woke up to ruins on Wednesday, July 16, after a dawn fire tore through six shops, reducing years of investment to ashes and leaving behind damages estimated at over ₦4.95 million.
The inferno, which ignited around 4:00 a.m., destroyed vital means of livelihood including a POS business, a barbershop, a cosmetics store, a shoe cobbler’s shed, and a spare parts shop. Victims were identified as Nura Ahmad (POS operator), Yakubu Musa (barber), Usman Salisu (cobbler), Musa Hamza (cosmetics dealer), and Ibrahim Ali (motor parts trader).
Eyewitnesses and emergency responders point to an electrical fault as the likely cause of the fire. Though the shops were closed, the blaze spread rapidly through the tightly packed units before fire service operatives—both federal and state—arrived to contain the situation.
Security analyst Zagazola Makama, who shared updates via X (formerly Twitter), confirmed that no lives were lost. However, the impact on the livelihoods of these small business owners is deeply profound, as none of the affected reportedly had insurance coverage for their shops or goods.
Responding swiftly, Borno State Fire Service and Nigeria Police personnel were deployed to prevent looting and restore calm. Their intervention ensured the fire didn’t extend beyond the six affected units, averting a larger catastrophe.
This incident marks the second major fire at a Maiduguri market location within the last 90 days, intensifying calls from civil society groups and market associations for the state government to install fire alarms, inspect electrical systems, and implement disaster response training in densely populated business clusters.
Investigations into the exact cause and potential liability are still ongoing, with affected traders pleading for government intervention and support to rebuild their livelihoods. Several NGOs and local leaders have also started mobilizing assistance for the victims.
