It was gathered that the incident, which left the traders shell shocked, destroyed several shops.

Punch reports that firefighters responded on time to a distress call, but the clumsy structure of the market prevented the state fire service officials from gaining entry into the market.

According to an eyewitness, Ankeli Amanyi, this is the seventh time fire had ravaged the market in the past 20 years.

Amanyi said, “Over 1,000 shops were burnt in the fire, which started around 5am this morning (Monday).

“No one can say for certain what caused the fire; we just noticed thick smoke from the market, which drew the attention of people to the area.

“Actually, firefighters responded promptly but there was little they could do to extinguish the fire. The nature of the market did not allow vehicles to enter the market

“This incident makes it the seventh time that the market would be razed in the last 20 years.”

The Director, Benue State Fire Service, Ikyaaza Donald who confirmed the incident, however stated that his men responded promptly to extinguish the fire.