Fire guts Customs Western Marine Command office in Lagos

By Emmanuel Daniji

A fire outbreak at the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Western Marine Command in Apapa, Lagos, has destroyed property reportedly worth millions of naira and disrupted activities at the command.

The fire started at about 10:23 a.m. on Monday, reportedly following an electrical surge in the conference room before spreading to other sections of the building.

Customs officers on duty reportedly made efforts to contain the flames before officials of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service arrived at about 10:45 a.m. to join the firefighting operation.

The incident occurred as Deputy Comptroller of Customs Timothy Jonah was settling into his new role at the command.

Describing the incident as unfortunate, Jonah said he had barely assumed duty before being confronted with the fire.

“I just resumed duty to take over, only to witness this fire outbreak,” he said.

Despite the damage, the Customs officer said the incident could also provide an opportunity for the command to review and strengthen its safety measures.

“Every challenge, though negative, is an opportunity to strengthen our operations,” he added.

Jonah said a committee would be constituted to investigate the cause of the fire and determine the circumstances surrounding the outbreak.

He also commended the Customs personnel who responded to the incident and worked with the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service to prevent the situation from getting worse.

The command is expected to strengthen its safety protocols following the incident, with Jonah assuring that measures would be put in place to prevent a recurrence.