A fire outbreak on Monday razed parts of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Western Marine Command office in Apapa, Lagos, destroying property estimated at millions of naira.
The fire reportedly started at about 10:23am following an electrical surge in the command’s conference room before spreading to other sections of the building.
Personnel on duty were said to have made efforts to contain the blaze while awaiting the arrival of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, whose officials reached the scene at about 10:45am.
The newly deployed Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Timothy Jonah, who had just assumed duty at the command, described the incident as unfortunate.
Jonah said he had barely arrived to take over from his predecessor when he was confronted with the fire outbreak.
“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 officers on duty for their prompt response and their collaboration with the state fire service in containing the incident.
He said the command would also strengthen its safety measures and protocols to minimise the risk of a similar occurrence in the future.
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