Three fires struck within one week and destroyed more than 10,000 bags of onions across affected communities.
The latest blaze hit Duhuwa village on Friday and burned down 324 storage huts. The fire wiped out about 5,832 bags of onions within hours.
Residents say the fire started while many people attended Juma’at prayers. Dry, thatched storage huts fueled the flames, allowing the fire to spread rapidly and overwhelm local efforts to stop it.
Earlier in the week, fires hit Kojiyo and Dundaye villages. The Kojiyo incident destroyed 2,275 bags, while the Dundaye fire consumed over 2,000 bags within 48 hours.
The repeated incidents have raised suspicion among stakeholders. The National President of the Nigerian Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, Aliyu Isah, said the pattern now looks increasingly suspicious.
“This is the third fire in one week. At first, we thought they were natural, but now the pattern is hard to ignore,” he said.
Residents in Duhuwa say the fire began in a single hut and quickly spread to nearby structures.
“We returned from prayers and found one hut already burning. Within minutes, others caught fire,” a farmer said.
The fires have caused severe financial losses. Farmers in Duhuwa alone lost over ₦204 million, pushing total damages across the three incidents close to ₦500 million.
Community leaders blame poor infrastructure for worsening the damage. Many of the affected areas lack access to water and basic firefighting tools.
“If we had water or any emergency response, we could have reduced the damage,” a resident said.
The association has reported the incidents to the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force and has called for a full investigation. It has also appealed to the National Emergency Management Agency to support affected farmers.
Officials say they expect detailed field reports soon and have promised to investigate the fires.
Farmers now remain on edge as they try to understand the cause of the incidents.
Market observers warn that continued losses could disrupt supply and push onion prices higher in the coming weeks, increasing pressure on consumers.
