Over 500 Shops Razed, Traders count losses
Following our earlier report on the fire outbreak at the Jos Main Market—also known as the Terminus Market—fresh details have emerged revealing the extent of devastation and loss suffered by traders and shop owners.
In the late hours of Tuesday, April 29, 2025, a raging inferno engulfed the market located in the heart of Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State. The fire, which reportedly started around 12:30 a.m., swept through over 500 makeshift shops, destroying goods and properties estimated to be worth billions of naira.
Most of the affected shops were part of a temporary relocation site designated by the government for traders who had been moved off the roadside last year. The cause of the fire remains unconfirmed, but eyewitnesses described hearing electrical sparks before flames erupted across the area.
Efforts by emergency responders to control the fire were severely hampered by faulty fire service trucks. Many traders, watching helplessly as their livelihoods went up in flames, decried the slow response and lack of equipment to contain the disaster.
Mrs. Joyce Ramnap, the Plateau State Commissioner for Information, confirmed the incident and advised residents to desist from spreading false narratives about the fire on social media. Meanwhile, the market chairman, Mustapha Ibrahim, has called on both the state and federal governments to intervene urgently and provide relief to the victims.
A Troubled History of Fires at Jos Main Market
This latest tragedy adds to a long list of disasters that have plagued the Jos Main Market over the decades. Once regarded as one of West Africa’s largest indoor markets, the iconic structure has suffered repeated destruction:
- 2002: A massive fire outbreak completely razed the original market building. That incident marked a turning point, forcing traders into makeshift stalls and roadside locations due to lack of rebuilding efforts.
- 2014: Twin bomb blasts devastated the market vicinity, killing dozens and further deepening the instability and insecurity around the area.
- Multiple smaller fires have occurred since, often blamed on poor infrastructure, lack of fire safety protocols, and congestion within makeshift trading sections.
Despite numerous promises by successive administrations to rebuild the market into a modern commercial hub, actual efforts have been slow or abandoned, leaving the area in a constant state of vulnerability.
As investigations into this latest incident continue and affected traders count their losses, the urgent need for a comprehensive and permanent reconstruction plan, alongside stringent safety measures, cannot be overemphasized
