Goods worth millions of Naira were destroyed on Saturday, September 5, 2026, after a late-night fire outbreak razed no fewer than 12 shops at a shopping complex within the Mandate Market area in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. ​The blaze, which began around 1:14 a.m., affected a commercial building housing approximately 40 shops located directly opposite Alkad Filling Station. ​
Spokesperson for the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Hakeem Adekunle, confirmed that the agency dispatched two fire engines to the venue immediately after receiving the distress call. Emergency personnel successfully contained the inferno, preventing it from spreading to the remaining 28 shops and neighboring commercial structures.
​”The Fire Service received the distress call and turned out at 01:14hrs to the scene, where a shopping complex comprising approximately 40 shops was already engulfed in fire,” Adekunle stated. “Despite the prompt intervention of the firefighters, 12 shops were affected, largely due to the late notification of the incident.”
​Preliminary reports suggest the fire was triggered by a power surge. Eyewitnesses sleeping near the complex recounted hearing a loud combustion sound shortly after public electricity was restored to the area. Officials noted that an official investigation remains ongoing to confirm the exact cause.
​Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Alabi Muhammed commended the responding firefighters and the Federal Fire Service for their joint intervention. He urged property and business owners across the state to ensure electrical installations are executed by certified professionals and to report fire incidents immediately to minimize losses.
