Control1stAdmin1
By OUR REPORTER
A late-night fire outbreak yesterday, Tuesday, razed a section of the Jos Main Market, popularly known as Terminus Market, in Plateau State, destroying several shops and goods worth millions of naira.
The inferno reportedly broke out at about 8:00pm, triggering panic among traders and residents around the bustling commercial centre.
Confirming the incident, the General Manager of the Jos Main Market Authority, Hon. Mangna Yusuf Wamyil, disclosed that operatives of the Plateau State Fire Service responded promptly to the distress call and succeeded in containing the blaze.
According to him, the swift intervention of the fire service prevented the fire from spreading to other sections of the market.
“Men of the fire service are on ground and they have put out the fire. As at the time of this report, we cannot ascertain the exact cause of the fire or the extent of damage,” Wamyil said.
He added that a comprehensive assessment would be carried out after preliminary investigations to determine the exact number of shops affected and the value of goods destroyed.
The latest incident has once again drawn attention to the long history of fire disasters at the Jos Main Market.
It would be recalled that the market was first significantly destroyed by a major fire outbreak in February 2001, which razed the vast indoor complex and left thousands of traders counting heavy losses.
The 2001 inferno destroyed what was then regarded as West Africa’s largest indoor market, forcing traders into makeshift arrangements that persisted for several years.
Subsequent fire incidents were later recorded at the market, notably in 2018 and again in April 2025, when several shop owners lost property estimated at millions of naira.
The original Terminus Market, located along Bauchi Road in Jos, was developed in 1975 as an ultra-modern retail facility. At its peak, it served as a major commercial hub, attracting business people from across the West African sub-region as well as tourists from different parts of the world.
Wamyil urged traders to remain calm as investigations continue, assuring that measures would be put in place to prevent future occurrences.
See THE NIGERIA STANDARD
