Fire Razes 5,832 Onion Bags in Sokoto as Farmers Count Fresh Losses

Another major fire outbreak has hit Sokoto State, destroying 5,832 bags of onions in Duhuwa village and worsening the hardship faced by local farmers.

The incident, which happened on Friday, is the third reported case of onion storage fire outbreak in the state within one week. Reports said the fire gutted 324 storage huts, each stocked with 18 bags of onions.

The National President of the Nigerian Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, Aliyu Maitasamu Isah, estimated the damage at N204.1 million, using the current village price of N35,000 per bag.

Residents said the fire started around 2:00 p.m. while many villagers had gone for Juma’at prayers. By the time they returned, the flames had spread across the storage huts and nearby buildings, burning until about 5:00 p.m.

Several farmers narrated heavy personal losses. Bashiru Muhammadu said he lost 260 bags, while another resident, Aliyu Ibrahim Muhammad, said 15 of his huts containing about 175 bags were destroyed. Some farmers were said to have lost between 500 and 600 bags.

Another victim, Muddaha Yusuf, blamed the scale of destruction on the lack of a nearby water source, saying quicker access to water could have reduced the damage.

The latest tragedy comes shortly after similar incidents in Kojiyo village, where 2,275 bags were destroyed, and in Dundaye, where over 2,000 bags were lost.

NOPPMAN said more than 10,000 bags of onions worth nearly N500 million have now been destroyed in the three incidents recorded within one week. The association described the repeated fires as suspicious and said security agencies, including the police and DSS, had been notified for investigation.

Farmers have appealed to the government, emergency agencies and well meaning Nigerians for urgent support to help them recover their losses.