A fire outbreak on Monday gutted the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Western Marine Command office in Apapa, Lagos, destroying property estimated to be worth millions of naira.
The incident reportedly started at about 10:23 a.m. following an electrical surge in the command’s conference room before spreading to other sections of the building.
Officers on duty were said to have made frantic efforts to contain the flames before personnel of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service arrived at about 10:45 a.m. to join the firefighting operation.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the newly posted Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Timothy Jonah, arrived at the command shortly before or during the incident to assume duty from his predecessor.
Describing the fire as unfortunate, Jonah said the incident occurred just as he resumed his new assignment.
“I just resumed duty to take over, only to witness this fire outbreak,” he said.
The deputy comptroller, however, said the incident would provide an opportunity for the command to strengthen its operational and safety measures.
“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 added.
Jonah commended the officers who responded to the emergency and worked with the Lagos State fire service to prevent the blaze from causing further damage.
He assured that the command would review and strengthen its safety protocols to minimise the risk of a similar incident in the future.
