Tragedy struck again on Wednesday night as a section of the popular Oba Market in Benin City, the Edo State capital, was gutted by fire.

The incident, which occurred at the heart of the Ring Road area, reportedly destroyed several shops and goods worth millions of naira. The cause of the inferno remains unknown as of the time of filing this report.

The Oba Market, one of Benin’s oldest and busiest trading centres, had previously been destroyed by fire during the administration of former Governor Godwin Obaseki. Reconstruction of the market is currently ongoing under the Governor Monday Okpebholo-led government.

Reacting to the incident, the Chairman of Oredo Local Government Council, Hon. Gabriel Iduseri, visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment in the early hours of Thursday.

Iduseri expressed sympathy with affected traders and vowed that the council would not abandon them to bear the loss alone.

 “We will stand by our traders and ensure they receive the necessary support to get back on their feet,” he assured.

Authorities are expected to launch an investigation to determine the cause of the fire and assess the extent of damage.