Fire Guts Shops Opposite Adekunle Ajasin University Gate, Traders Count Losses

No fewer than ten shops located opposite the main gate of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, were destroyed by fire on Thursday night.

The inferno, which broke out around 10pm, swept through the row of shops and consumed goods worth millions of naira before traders could arrive at the scene.

One of the affected shop owners, who identified himself simply as Prince, recounted his devastating loss. He said his entire shop, where he repaired laptops, was reduced to ashes. “I repair laptops and over 400 laptops in my shop have been burnt to ashes. I don’t know what to do. The laptops and my tools are all gone,” he said.

Another trader explained that several freezers, drinks, and other goods were destroyed before they could intervene. “Before we got here yesterday, the shops had already been razed. We lost four deep freezers, drinks and others. We also have those who sell phones here too,” the trader said.

Eyewitnesses described how the fire spread rapidly, leaving shop owners helpless as they watched years of investment disappear within minutes. A source, who declined to be named, suggested the fire may have been triggered by an electrical spark.

The destruction has left traders in shock as they begin to count their losses.