Fire Razes 21 Shops, Vehicle at Abuja’s Kugbo Furniture Market
E-ISSN: 2354-4481
By Ihunna Anozie Ephraim
ABUJA — A fire outbreak has affected 21 shops and a vehicle at the Kugbo Furniture Market along the Abuja-Keffi Expressway in Abuja, leaving traders to count their losses.
The incident occurred at about 11:15am on Friday, October 2, 2026, after the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Abuja Operations Office received a distress call through its Emergency Response and Ambulance Bay.
NEMA said relevant emergency response agencies, including the Federal Fire Service and other responders, were immediately mobilised to the market following the alert.
Responders supported crowd-control operations and assisted firefighters in containing the blaze and preventing it from spreading to adjoining shops and other sections of the market.
According to NEMA, preliminary assessment showed that one vehicle and 21 shops were affected by the fire.
The agency said no casualty was recorded during the incident.
The fire was eventually brought under control, while the affected area was dampened to prevent possible secondary outbreaks and further spread.
Some valuable items were also recovered from the affected shops during the emergency operation.
NEMA said emergency operations at the scene were concluded at about 1:40pm.
The immediate cause of the fire had not been officially established as of the time of filing this report.
However, separate reports quoted an eyewitness as saying an electrical spark occurred after power was restored, although that account has not been independently confirmed by emergency authorities.
The Chairman of the Kugbo Wood Machinist Association, Godswill Ndukwe, also reportedly said the exact cause remained unknown. He said the affected section contained foam, wood, local and imported boards and furniture accessories, while estimating traders’ losses at about N500 million. The figure has not been independently verified by emergency authorities.
Friday’s incident has also renewed attention on previous fire outbreaks in Abuja’s commercial centres.
In January 2026, parts of the Kugbo Furniture Market were gutted by another major fire. The Federal Fire Service said firefighters and other responders battled the blaze for several hours, while property estimated at about ₦1.8 billion was reportedly saved. The Service said an electrical surge was suspected at the time.
In August, another fire outbreak affected Eda Plaza, a building-materials market opposite Chida Hotel in Jabi, Abuja. Shops and goods worth millions of naira were reportedly destroyed, although no casualties were recorded. The Federal Fire Service said it received the distress call at about 2:46am and deployed personnel from several stations to fight the fire.
The recurrence of fires in Abuja’s commercial areas has heightened concerns over fire-prevention measures, emergency access, electrical safety and the availability of adequate firefighting infrastructure in busy markets.
For traders affected by Friday’s Kugbo fire, attention is now focused on assessing the extent of property losses and recovering whatever remains of their businesses.
NEMA said it remained committed to supporting affected communities and coordinating emergency response operations with relevant agencies.
