Many traders at the popular Balogun market on Lagos Island wept on Thursday morning as fire burnt their goods.
The fire incident, which started at midnight, occurred nine days before Christmas.
Many of the traders lamented that they had stocked millions of goods for end-of-year sales before the fire incident occurred.
The cause of the fire outbreak could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.
It was gathered that many traders selling clothes and bags were most hit.
One of the affected traders at the popular Lagos market, identified simply as Iya Akande, broke down in tears while narrating the incident.
She lamented that some of them took loans to purchase goods ahead of Christmas and the New Year.
“I just came to the market to open my shop and saw many traders crying. I looked up and saw that our goods have been gutted by fire.
“We are in trouble. Many of us took loans to get goods so that we can make much profit during this festive period.”
Asked to estimate the amount of goods burnt, she said, “millions”.
Efforts to reach officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency proved abortive.
Details later…