A sudden fire outbreak has ravaged the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Western Marine Command office in Apapa, Lagos, destroying property worth millions of naira and disrupting activities at the facility.
The fire reportedly started at about 10:23am on Monday after an electrical surge in the conference room, before spreading to other sections of the building.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that officers on duty made frantic efforts to contain the flames before officials of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service arrived at about 10:45am.
The Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Timothy Jonah, who had just resumed at the command to take over from his predecessor, described the incident as unfortunate.
He said: “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.”
Jonah commended the swift response of personnel on duty and their collaboration with the fire service.
He added that measures would be taken to strengthen safety protocols at the command and prevent a recurrence of a similar incident.
