Cynthia Ezegwu
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has commiserated with families, organisations, and traders who lost loved ones and properties in Tuesday’s fire outbreak at Afriland Towers, a six-storey commercial building on Broad Street, Lagos Island.
The inferno, which spread to parts of the nearby Central Plaza close to Mandilas Market, claimed several lives and destroyed goods worth millions of naira.
In a statement on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, Sanwo-Olu described the incident as “unfortunate and shocking,” noting that it was a huge loss to the state and affected institutions.
He specifically condoled with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and United Capital Plc, which lost four and six staff members, respectively, in the tragedy.
“It is with a heavy heart that I received news of the fire outbreak. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, the management, and staff of all the organisations that lost their loved ones in the ugly incident. I wish the injured persons a speedy recovery,” the governor said.
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Sanwo-Olu also extended condolences to traders at Central Plaza, pledging that the state government would strengthen fire safety measures to avert future occurrences. He commended emergency responders, including the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Lagos State Ambulance Service, and the Federal Fire Service, for their swift intervention, which he said helped reduce the scale of casualties.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has also expressed sadness over the tragedy, condoling with the families of victims, as well as the management and staff of FIRS, United Capital, and United Bank for Africa.
Tinubu praised the efforts of fire services, medical personnel, first aiders, and members of the public who assisted in evacuation efforts, urging increased caution, better training, and improved preparedness to prevent similar emergencies in the future.
Authorities confirmed that four FIRS staff members were among the deceased, while others succumbed to injuries in hospitals across the state.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.