Tragedy struck in the commercial district of Amoyo, Kwara State, on Wednesday morning, June 5, 2024, around 4 AM, when a local electronics shop was destroyed by a fire believed to have been caused by a sudden surge from the national grid.
Eyewitnesses reported that the incident occurred around 4 AM when power was unexpectedly restored after a prolonged outage. The surge, which came without prior warning, caused a short circuit in the shop’s electrical system, leading to a fire that quickly spread through the store.
The shop, owned by Mr. Segun, specialized in household electronics and had been a staple in the community for over 7 years. According to Mr. Segun, the damage is estimated to run into millions of naira, as the fire destroyed all inventory and equipment in the store.
“We had been without power for more than 24 hours,” Mr. Segun recounted. “When the electricity came back, there was a loud noise and then sparks everywhere. Before we knew it, the whole place was in flames.”
Residents attempted to control the fire with buckets of water, but their efforts were in vain.
“This is a devastating loss not just for Mr. Segun, but for the entire community,” said a neighboring shop owner. “He is well known and respected here, and this shop was his livelihood.”
Mr. Segun, while thankful that no lives were lost, expressed his frustration with the situation. “We need a reliable power supply system that doesn’t put our lives and businesses at risk. This should never have happened.”
