By Abdulahi Kabiru SOKOTO:
A devastating fire outbreak has dealt a heavy blow to onion farmers in Kojiyo community of Goronyo Local Government Area, Sokoto State, destroying no fewer than 2,275 bags of onions valued at about ₦56.8 million and plunging dozens of rural households into economic distress.
The incident, which ravaged about 65 traditional onion storage huts, occurred on Friday afternoon and lasted for nearly seven hours, leaving farmers counting enormous losses and raising fresh concerns about the vulnerability of agricultural produce storage across rural communities in northern Nigeria.
Residents said the fire started around 2:00 p.m. and spread rapidly through the huts mostly constructed with dry grasses and stalks making it difficult to contain.
Although no lives were lost, the inferno consumed virtually all stored onions within the affected structures.
The National President of the Nigerian Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NOPPMAN), Aliyu Isah Maitasamu, confirmed the scale of the destruction, explaining that each storage hut typically contains about 35 bags of onions.
He disclosed that 2,275 bags were lost in the blaze and, with each bag valued at roughly ₦25,000 at the local market, the estimated financial loss stands at ₦56.8 million.
“We have repeatedly cautioned farmers to avoid activities that could trigger fire outbreaks around onion storage facilities, especially because the structures are made from dry materials that easily ignite,” Maitasamu said.
He added that investigations were ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident.
“We are still investigating to ascertain what led to the fire,” he stated.
Despite the magnitude of the loss, Maitasamu ruled out fears of an immediate spike in onion prices nationwide, noting that the quantity destroyed was not large enough to significantly disrupt the market supply chain.
However, for the affected farmers, the disaster represents a crushing setback.
One of the victims, Abdullahi S. Rima, who reportedly lost 210 bags, lamented that the inferno wiped out his entire investment.
“It is a huge loss for me. Everything I stored there has been burnt,” he said.
Another farmer, Nura Arzika Magaji, who lost 70 bags, said the produce served as the main source of income for his household.
“We usually sell gradually to cater for our families, but now everything is gone. We currently don’t have what to eat,” he said.
Similarly, Ashafa Muhammad, who lost 35 bags, described the incident as devastating.
“We are in mourning because the fire destroyed everything we relied on for survival. We believe it is the will of Allah,” he said.
A security guard at the storage facility, Abubakar Maigadi, said he was asleep when the fire broke out.
“I woke up to the sound of the fire. I don’t know what caused it. I also lost my clothes and other valuables in my hut,” he said.
The Village Head of Kojiyo, Muhammadu Sani Sarkin Rima, described the incident as a major tragedy for the agrarian community, stressing that several households had lost their primary means of livelihood.
“Some families now have nothing to eat because what they depended on has been destroyed.
Each hut contained between 35 and 38 bags of onions,” he said.
The traditional leader appealed to government authorities and humanitarian agencies to urgently intervene to cushion the hardship faced by the victims.
Echoing the call, Maitasamu urged the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief materials and farm inputs to help the affected farmers recover.
“We are appealing to the government and intervention agencies to assist these farmers so they can return to farming in the next planting season,” he said.
Responding to the development, the Public Relations Officer of SEMA, Abdullahi Ghani, said the agency had yet to receive official notification of the incident.
“We are not aware of the situation at the moment, but once there is an official report from the local government, SEMA will conduct an assessment,” he said.
Meanwhile, residents fear that if urgent assistance is not provided, the disaster could weaken onion production in the area and worsen the economic vulnerability of farming households in the community.
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