PHOTOS: Shops destroyed as fire engulfs Oba market in Benin

Hundreds of shops have been destroyed by fire at the Oba market in Benin, Edo state.

The fire, shop owners said, started around midnight on Monday.

It is not yet clear what led to the outbreak, but operatives of the fire service were on ground later in the morning to stop the fire.

Osayi Ikponmwosa, one of the traders who owns a boutique in the market complex, said she got a call around 1am that the market was on fire.

“We lost everything. We couldn’t get here until this morning and the fire had already burnt everything in the shop,” she told TheCable.