Traders count losses as fire razes POWA Mall in Ibadan

Traders at the Police Officers Wives (POWA) Mall are still mourning the devastating fire that caused millions of naira in damage to goods and properties in Yemetu, located in Ibadan North local government area.

According to reliable sources, the unfortunate incident began in one of the shops at 2:09 AM and quickly spread to over six shops in the same row.

One of the shop owners affected by the fire shared with this reporter that her house was also destroyed by fire just a year ago.

She expressed that she has lost over 11 million naira due to this recent incident.

“I sell new shoes, school bags, handbags, shirts, and needles. A lot of things. Ladies’ shoes. Ladies’ shoes. My shop is full of stuff. This shop is full of stuff. Provision, salts, minerals. Then you see, fish, stock fish, curry and ingredients.

“That one (pointing at another shop), there are two deep freezers and this long freezer. All three shops are full of different goods and items that I sell.”

“There is no means. I am praying to God to help me now. When I lost my house last year, it was worth over N20 million.

“There was no help now. Inside the barracks, I didn’t see any help. So if God wants to help me with this, He can do it now. I don’t have any problem. I am just hoping on God. I don’t have any other thing than God.

“My house got burnt on the 21st of February last year, it was by the Police barracks. I am a police wife living inside the barracks now. I didn’t see any help from anybody. There was no help.

“My association gave me only one mattress and N20,000. You know, we are just helping the organisation to grow. So, according to them, they were hoping that maybe the government would do something. But we didn’t see any help from anywhere, till today.

“This baby was inside. Look at my neighbours now. This baby that went and saved this one. We do not even remember he was i side the house. I didn’t even have the memory of having this baby inside. We lost everything. All property. Now I am managing in a self-contained apartment. And now fire burn my shops again, it’s just painful. But we thank God. All I understand is God knows everything.

“Only God will appeal for us now. Even when the local government came, we told them. We explained what happened. They answered us. Just like what you are asking, we said. So, if God says He wants to use them for us, fine.

“Anyway, my life is in God’s hands now. Nothing we can do. I don’t know. If God says He wants to help us, He can help us.

Confirming the incident, the General Manager of the State Fire Services, Akinyemi Akinyinka, said the unfortunate incident was reported at exactly 02:09am of Saturday, 10th, 2025 through GSM and Mr S.O. Soyombo to shops on fire at the above address.

“The fire personnel, led by ACFS Adedeji (Mrs) promptly deployed to the scene and on getting there, it was discovered to be locked-up shops on fire and we quickly swung into action and we were able to curtail the fire in time. The fire was restricted from gaining momentum to other nearby shops.

“No casualty recorded, only six (6) shops were affected by fire out of twenty-four (24) locked up shops.

“The fire incident was as a result of the overheating of plugged deep freezer overnight, unattended caught fire and set the place ablaze.”

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