Fire Guts 11 Shops at Growing Yola Market in Early Morning Blaze

Story: written by Daniel January 2,2026
No fewer than 11 shops were destroyed by fire in the early hours of Thursday at a shopping complex close to the Jimeta Ultramodern Market in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.

The incident occurred at Fallujah Market, a newly established but fast-expanding commercial hub situated opposite the old Jimeta Market in Yola North Local Government Area.

Eyewitnesses said the fire broke out while residents were ushering in the New Year, leaving the affected shops engulfed in flames before help arrived.

A trader at the market, Abubakar Yahaya, explained that goods worth millions of naira were lost as there was no one present at the time to quickly alert authorities or nearby residents.

According to him, security guards and police officers later noticed the inferno and moved in to contain it, successfully stopping the fire from spreading to other shops.

Yahaya added that preliminary findings suggest the fire may have originated from a shop dealing in second-hand clothing, possibly as a result of an electrical malfunction.