How fire destroyed goods worth millions at Jabi building materials market

By Stanley Onyekwere

A devastating early morning fire on Sunday swept through the building materials market at Eda Plaza, opposite Chida Hotel in Jabi, Abuja, reducing goods worth millions of naira to ashes.

The inferno broke out around 3:00 AM, rapidly spreading through multiple shops and storage facilities packed with combustible building materials.

It was gathered that the nature of the inventory accelerated the blaze, keeping it burning for over seven hours before a joint team from the Federal Fire Service, the FCT Fire Service, and the Julius Berger Fire Service brought it under control at approximately 10:14 AM.

Also, while no lives were lost and the exact cause remains under investigation, the extent of the destruction highlights severe gaps in market safety and emergency preparedness across the capital.

In a statement by Head of Public Affairs Nkechi Isa, the FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD) revealed how the absence of basic firefighting equipment in public markets often allows manageable fires to turn into multi-million naira disasters.

FEMD stressed that markets must be equipped with adequate fire extinguishers and undergo routine electrical inspections, as faulty wiring remains a leading suspect in commercial outbreaks.

To prevent similar losses, FEMD urged market management teams to enforce proper electrical installations, advised traders to evacuate immediately during emergencies, and called on the public to report incidents early using the 112 toll-free line rather than crowding response zones.