A fire outbreak on Monday gutted the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Western Marine Command office in Ibafon, Apapa, Lagos, destroying property reportedly worth millions of naira.
The fire reportedly started at about 10:20 a.m. in the command’s conference room following an electrical surge before spreading rapidly through the building.
Customs personnel on duty reportedly made efforts to contain the blaze before the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service arrived at about 10:43 a.m. and eventually brought the fire under control.
The incident occurred on the first day of Deputy Comptroller of Customs Timothy Jonah at the command, where he had arrived to assume leadership from his predecessor, Comptroller Patrick Ntadi.
Speaking at the scene, Jonah said: “I just resumed duty to take over, only to witness this fire outbreak.” He described the incident as a challenge that could provide an opportunity to strengthen the command’s operations.
Jonah said a committee would be constituted to investigate the cause of the fire, while commending Customs personnel and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service for their prompt response.
He also pledged to strengthen safety protocols at the command to prevent a recurrence.
