The popular Army Arena Market in Oshodi, Lagos, is on fire on Tuesday, as traders are run shelter skelter for dear life.
The devastating fire broke out and engulfed several sections of the market in flames.
According to eyewitnesses, the fire started around 6 pm on Tuesday, and spread to sections of the large market.
Information got from videos shared on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday evening, showed that traders were scampering to salvage their wares as thick smoke billowed across the market, with many clamouring for help.
Another video shared on the social media, firefighters were seen at the scene of the fire outbreak.
However, as at press time, there have been no official reports on the number of casualties recorded during the fire or the value of goods lost.
Indeed, the Arena Market fire comes a week after the popular Balogun Market in Lagos suffered a similar tragedy. On Christmas Eve, traders in the Balogun Market suffered a tragedy when a fire started at the Great Nigeria Insurance on Martins Street and quickly spread to five other buildings on Wednesday.
The Tuesday fire was not the first outbreak in the Arena Market in 2025. In August, an inferno swept through the market, and traders suffered losses worth millions of naira.
According to reports, the Arena Market inferno in August was caused by a power surge, a claim some traders rejected.
Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.
Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.
He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.
Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).
He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.
He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.
Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.
