*1,000 businesses affected, as VP Shettima visits 

A fire outbreak has swept through the popular Singer Market in Kano metropolis, destroying property estimated at over N8 billion, crippling more than 1,000 businesses, and leaving seven persons missing. 

The traders have described the inferno as one of the darkest moments in the market’s history.

The Chairman of Singer Market, Junaid Zakari, disclosed the extent of the destruction on Sunday while speaking with newsmen, describing the incident as a catastrophe that has left hundreds of families devastated.

Zakari stated that the inferno razed four residential buildings within the market area, many of which housed small-scale businesses and served as both shops and living quarters for some of the traders.

This was as the Vice-President, Kashim Shettima, is to led a powerful federal government delegation to sympathise with the traders.

President Tinubu, who had earlier reached out to Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to obtain a situation report on the fire, described the incident as tragic. 

The President was particularly alarmed that the latest incident came less than two weeks after another fire destroyed dozens of shops and property at the same market. 

Meanwhile, the President has directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead a high-powered Federal Government delegation to Kano to express sympathy and support for victims of the Singer Market fire disaster, a presidency statement announced on Sunday.

The delegation, scheduled to depart Abuja tomorrow (Monday), will convey President Tinubu’s sympathy to the traders who lost billions of Naira in the weekend fire that engulfed the market, marking the second incident in just two weeks.

The delegation is also said to a pledge, on behalf of the government, financial assistance to aid the victims and support Kano State in facilitating the quick reopening of the market.

Members of the delegation include the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin; Senator Kawu Ismaila; and Rep. Abubakar Kabir Bichi, Chairman of the House of Representatives Appropriation Committee.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Bernard M. Doro and Mrs Zubaida Umar, the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), are also part of the team.

According to the Chairman of the traders union, goods, equipment, and other valuables were completely burnt, wiping out years of investment and plunging business owners into uncertainty.

“This is one of the worst tragedies we have experienced in the history of Singer Market. 

“Over 1,000 businesses have been affected, and properties worth more than N8 billion have been destroyed as at 1pm Sunday,” Zakari said.

Adding to the tragedy, Zakari confirmed that seven persons had been declared missing as of the time of filing this report.

He said investigations were ongoing to determine their whereabouts and to confirm whether they were alive or dead. Emergency responders and security agencies are working tirelessly to account for everyone who may have been trapped during the blaze.

The uncertainty surrounding the missing individuals has heightened anxiety among traders and residents, many of whom spent the weekend searching through debris and making frantic phone calls in hopes of locating loved ones.

Amid the charred remains of shops and buildings, traders struggled to salvage whatever was left of their properties.