‘We have lost millions of naira’: Victims of Mandate fire incident narrate ordeal
In the early hours of Saturday, Sherifat Hamazat woke up to several missed calls. They were more than unanswered calls; they marked the beginning of a devastating reality.
“I woke up to 50 missed calls. I knew it wasn’t good news,” she said as she narrated her experience.
Sherifat Hamazat and other victims affected by the fire outbreak
By the time she arrived at her fashion designing workshop at the Solidarity Shopping Complex, opposite Alkad Filling Station in the Mandate Market area of Ilorin, her livelihood had been reduced to ashes. Her sewing machines, clothing materials she had stocked and the fabrics by her customers were all gone.
Sherifat Hamazat’s fashion designing workshop before the fire incident
Among the materials destroyed was a wedding gown fabric belonging to a customer preparing for a wedding scheduled for the following week.
“A customer’s guinea material worth 1.8 million naira, among other expensive materials, were destroyed in the fire,” Sherifat said.
The incident marks one of many fire incidents in the last eight months. According to a statement by the state fire service, Kwara State recorded 197 fire incidents with zero casualties.
Her story is one of several accounts from traders whose businesses were consumed by the fire that swept through parts of the shopping complex in the early hours of Saturday, September 5, 2026.
According to Musa Jamiu Ayinla, a security guard at the complex, he said that around 1:22 am, he and his friend (Yahyah) noticed smoke from a nearby supermarket, Abdyswit Venture, where he immediately notified the owner that their inverter had burst into flame while informing others, prompting urgent rescue of the situation.
He, however, said that after attempting to quench the fire by switching off the electric switch connected to the inverter, the fire escalated beyond control and spread rapidly to other shops within the complex.
“The inverter was already hot, causing it to burst,” he said.
In a statement, the Kwara State Fire Service added that the shopping complex, with approximately 40 shops, 12 of which were engulfed in flames due to late notification, contributed to the extent of the damage.
For the traders, however, the figures tell only part of the story.
‘I couldn’t pick a pin’
Mariam Oseni, a middle-aged woman who sells prophetic medicine, said she arrived too late to rescue any of her goods.
The fire left her with no opportunity to salvage even the smallest item.
“I couldn’t pick a pin. When I arrived at my shop, everything was razed down by fire,” she said faintly.
The experience was no different for Lateefat Abdulah, who sells abayas and other clothing accessories. The inferno destroyed her entire stock.
“I have a single scarf worth 75 thousand naira, with almost 70 pieces. Everything was all burnt down during the fire incident,” she said.
Clothes fabrics razed during the fire incident
Starting all over again, appeal for government intervention
For the affected traders, the fire has taken away more than goods. It has taken away businesses they spent years building.
Now, they have no choice but to start again from scratch.
For some of these shop owners, replacing a single machine could cost hundreds of thousands of naira. For others, rebuilding their stock could require millions.
Yet, despite the magnitude of their losses, the traders said they were still holding on to hope.
They appealed to the Kwara State Government for urgent intervention and financial support to help them rebuild their businesses.
According to them, debris from their shops has turned into a scrap yard, leaving them hoping the government or other sources will intervene.
For now, they sit among the ruins of what they once called their businesses and a means of livelihood, waiting for help.
