Fire razes 20 shops in Ibadan’s Dugbe, destroys goods worth over ₦100 million

From Taiwo Oluwadare, Ibadan

A midnight fire triggered by a road accident has destroyed no fewer than 20 shops and goods valued at over ₦100 million at the NIPOST Shopping Complex in Dugbe, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The inferno, which broke out around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, reportedly started after a Lexus saloon car crashed into a giant billboard in front of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) station along the Dugbe-Iyaganku axis.

Eyewitnesses said the vehicle was travelling from the Queen’s Cinema area towards Iyaganku when the driver allegedly lost control due to excessive speed and suspected alcohol consumption. The car reportedly rammed into the billboard, somersaulted several times and split into two parts.

According to accounts from the scene, the rear section of the vehicle, which contained a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) tank and back tyres, rolled into the nearby NIPOST Shopping Complex and exploded on impact, igniting a massive fire.

The resulting blaze rapidly engulfed about 20 shops, destroying stationery materials, computer accessories, clothing items and other valuable goods belonging to traders.

Officials of the Oyo State Fire Service were said to have responded swiftly, preventing the fire from spreading to the General Post Office and other adjoining commercial buildings in the area.

Despite the severity of the accident and the ensuing fire, the two occupants of the Lexus reportedly escaped without injuries. Sources claimed the occupants were suspected internet fraudsters heading to a nightclub on the Ring Road axis at the time of the incident.

The billboard destroyed in the crash reportedly bore campaign messages of Hon. Adedeji Dhokrullahi Olajide, popularly known as Odidiomo of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), and Hon. Adebukola Ajaja of the Accord Party, both aspirants for the Oyo South Senatorial District seat ahead of the 2027 general elections.

When journalists visited the scene at about 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, security personnel and firefighters were still working to completely extinguish the flames and secure the affected area.

One of the affected traders, Mr Kingsley Chioma, lamented the losses suffered by shop owners and disclosed that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Iyaganku Police Station had assured victims that efforts were underway to arrest the driver responsible for the incident.