LAGOS, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)- Fresh controversy has erupted over recent fire outbreaks in major Lagos markets, with a media aide to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu accusing some commentators of exploiting the tragedies to promote ethnic divisions rather than address the real causes.
The Senior Special Assistant on Media to the governor, Wale Ajetunmobi, said it has become routine for “some hopeless individuals from the Southeast” to frame market fires in Lagos as targeted attacks, despite evidence pointing to unsafe trading practices. He made the remarks in response to social media reactions linking the incidents to alleged ethnic sabotage.
The debate was triggered by an X user, Obiasogu David (@afrisagacity), who claimed that “in just seven days, three different markets dominated by Igbo businesses have been razed down by strange fire, with billions of naira lost,” listing Balogun Market, Arena Market Oshodi and Ikotun Market. He argued that the pattern “couldn’t be a mere coincidence of misfortune.”
Reacting sharply, Ajetunmobi dismissed the narrative, describing it as misleading and inflammatory.
“These bigoted morons will come here to create misleading narratives that falsely portray all traders across Lagos major markets as Igbo,” he wrote, adding that such commentary ignores the diverse ethnic composition of Lagos markets.
He accused Obiasogu and others of attempting to portray the fires as deliberate actions by Yoruba interests against Igbo traders.
“A lot of them have pushed the same narrative in the past few days,” he said, insisting the claims were detached from facts on the ground.
To counter the allegation, Ajetunmobi cited the Balogun Market fire, noting that it originated from the GNI building, owned by Oodu’a Group, a Yoruba-owned corporation. He further stressed that the impact of the fire cut across ethnic lines.
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“Do the Yoruba need to set fire to their own 24-storey building because of anyone? This kind of knee-jerk action has never been part of our history. The fire from GNI building had greater negative impacts on Yoruba traders in the market,” he said, recounting how a colleague’s wife lost multiple shops and how another acquaintance suffered multi-million-naira losses.
He also noted that the historic Shitta-Bey Mosque on Martins Street was completely destroyed by the blaze.
Shifting focus, Ajetunmobi outlined what he described as widespread unsafe practices by traders as the major drivers of market fires in Lagos. According to him, traders often place industrial generators on upper floors of buildings converted into warehouses, store flammable materials in poorly ventilated spaces and position fuel tanks next to running generators.
“They placed GeePee tanks with flammable contents next to running generators on upper floors of multi-storey buildings. Traders used every available space, including staircases, as storage rooms, leaving no room for safe evacuation in case of an emergency,” he revealed.
The SSA also accused traders of illegal electricity connections, trading near transformers and storing combustible materials close to them, warning that such actions inevitably lead to disasters.
“What exactly are these traders’ actions expected to lead to?” he asked.
Ajetunmobi emphasized that traders from multiple ethnic groups, including Yoruba, Hausa, Igala and Ibibio operate in the affected markets and suffer losses whenever fires occur. He added that the Lagos State Government regularly conducts safety advocacy campaigns, particularly during the dry season, to reduce fire risks.
“Anyone who now claims these market fire tragedies were deliberately planned against only Igbo traders or anyone else is simply crying wolf,” he said, accusing promoters of such narratives of fueling division rather than solutions.
Meanwhile, Governor Sanwo-Olu recently visited the GNI building fire site on Lagos Island, confirming that eight people lost their lives and declaring the area unsafe while emergency agencies continue recovery and safety operations.
