Fire Guts Nigeria Customs Office In Lagos, Destroys Millions Of Naira Property

A fire outbreak has destroyed property worth millions of naira at the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Western Marine Command office in Apapa, Lagos, Naija News reports.

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

Officers on duty were said to have made frantic efforts to contain the fire while waiting for the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service.

According to Vanguard, the fire service officials arrived at about 10:45 a.m. and joined efforts to put out the flames.

The Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Timothy Jonah, who had just resumed to take over the affairs of the command from his predecessor, described the incident as unfortunate.

Jonah said he had barely resumed when the fire broke out.

“I just resumed duty to take over, only to witness this fire outbreak. Every challenge, though negative, is an opportunity to strengthen our operations.

“In the meantime, we will set up a committee to investigate the cause of the fire,” he said.

The Deputy Comptroller commended the personnel on duty for their quick response and their cooperation with the fire service.

He said the command would take steps to strengthen its safety protocols and prevent a recurrence of the incident.