The fire was said to have started from Anambra Plaza, on Martins street, beside Great Nigeria Limited, Leventis bus stop, on Wednesday morning.

In a series of tweet, the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA) said rescue operation is in progress.

“On arrival at the above scene, it was discovered that a four storey-plaza had been gutted by fire. Cause was identified as resulting from improperly stored fuel,” it said.

“The fire escalated to adjoining buildings totaling seven (7) in number and is being contained by the Emergency responders i.e LASG Fire Service and the Federal Fire Service and NPA Fire Service. Seven buildings are affected and two have collapsed.

“Given that two buildings have since collapsed, we have found it necessary to insert a gulf around the affected buildings and carry out integrity tests on all of them. We appeal for calm.”

Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, director-general of LASEMA, also said seven buildings are on fire on Martins street at the market.

In November, there was a fire outbreak which affected a six-storey building in a section of the market, Oluwole by Martins better known as Mandilas by traders.

There was another fire incident within the market at Dosunmu Street involving a three-storey building of lock-up shops.

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The inferno, which started in the midnight of Saturday, was said to be the first major fire incident in the popular timber market. No life was lost.

Men of the Lagos State Fire Service and emergency response teams from Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA) and Lagos State Safety Commission remained on the site to completely put the situation under control and salvage unaffected goods. They were joined by teams of firefighters from Federal Fire Service and Julius Berger.

Sanwo-Olu, who described the incident as “unfortunate”, allayed the fears of the traders, saying the State Government was more interested in supporting the victims back on their feet, rather than ejecting them from the site.

The Governor, who was received by a large crowd of traders, said there would be thorough investigation to unravel the cause of the inferno, while pleading with them to allow the emergency response teams to complete debris removal process on the site before embarking on efforts to re-construct the burnt shops.

He said: “On behalf of the State Government, I commiserate with Amu Market traders over this rather unfortunate incident. Nobody would ever expect this magnitude of destruction to happen, but we thank God that no life was lost.

“We will start full investigation into the remote causes of this incident, so that we can plan to forestall incidents like this in future. We will come back to do enumeration of the houses that were torched and look at what support we can render.

“Let me say it clearly to all traders in this market that, we do not plan to take over this market. We will work with you to see how to re-construct this place, so that business activities can return to the market. There so many families affected by this; we will help them to rebuild their lives.”

Sanwo-Olu stressed that the magnitude of the destruction left by the inferno brought up the necessity for the Government to collaborate with the traders in providing fire safety facility around the market with the aim to forestall future occurrence. He added that Ministry of Physical Planning would work with the market leaders to rebuild the market.

“After the completion of recovery process on the fire site, LASEMA and officials of the Ministry of Physical Planning will come back and take full inventory of the various store owners and market leaders. They will discuss lasting solution we can bring about in a market like this,” Sanwo-Olu said.

The Governor directed the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) to remove charred materials left on the site free of charge, while urging the crowd at the scene to allow smooth recovery process.

The youth leader in the market, Alhaji Tajudeen Sanni, who spoke on behalf of victims, said goods worth N10 billion were destroyed by the fire. He appreciated the Governor for offering to support to the victims, adding that the assurance by Governor not to take over the market would help victims to fully recover from their losses.

Chairman of Mushin Local Government, Hon. Bamigboye Emmanuel, assured the traders of support, saying the council would work with the State Government to introduce fire safety measures around the market.

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The policeman, identified simply as Danjuma, and his visitor, whose name had yet to be ascertained, were about to have their bath around 4.30am when the structure fell on them.

It was gathered that the occupants of the barracks had been warned to vacate the distressed two-storeyed building by the police authorities, but they declined on the grounds that they did not have the means to relocate.

When our correspondent arrived at the scene around 11am, residents were seen salvaging their property as officials of the National Emergency Management Agency and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, prepared to completely demolish the building.

One of the residents, Jenifa Mattias, said she was woken up by the sound of the collapse, adding that Danjuma moved into the barracks about five months ago.

She said, “He was a gentleman. He was transferred to Lagos recently and lived alone. I don’t know whether the visitor was his friend or relative. But they wanted to bathe when the toilet fell on them.

“We have been told to pack out, but we refused to leave because we have nowhere to go. But now that this has happened, I know God will make a way.”

An eyewitness, Hussain Abam, said efforts to rescue the victims alive proved abortive. “It took some time before we were able to break the slabs that covered them and bring them out. The visitor was a civilian; he arrived here yesterday,” he added.

A tailor, Mikail Afolabi, lamented the bad state of the buildings in the barracks and called on the government to renovate them. “These structures are weak. I cried when I saw the corpses. It was very unfortunate, especially on a day like this when people are celebrating.”

A policeman, who lives in a building opposite the collapsed structure, blamed the dilapidation of the buildings in the barracks on the police authorities.

The cop, who gave his name simply as John, said, “Every month, N7,500 is deducted from each policeman’s salary and now, we were told to leave on or before Wednesday. Where do they want us to go? Where is the money they have been deducting from our salaries? They did not renovate the barracks. We have no place to go.”

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police confirmed the death, Fatai Owoseni, saying efforts had been made to renovate the barracks.

He said, “The funds that are available to the government and the police are used to upgrade the facilities from time to time. When an incident like this happens, it calls for us to reassess and test the integrity of the buildings; and from there we move on.

“It is not possible to house every policeman in the barracks. Some policemen have to live within the communities they are.”

The NEMA spokesperson, South-West zone, Ibrahim Farinloye, stated that integrity test would be conducted on all the buildings in the barracks.

The LASEMA General Manager, Adesina Tiamiyu, said bodies of the victims had been deposited in the Mainland Hospital’s morgue.

“The agency received a distress call about a collapsed building in Highway Police Barracks opposite Area F, Ikeja. According to investigation conducted by the agency’s officials at the scene, it was gathered that the toilets and stairway of Wing D collapsed at about 4am.

“The agency’s officials, in collaboration with men of the Lagos State Fire Service, Nigeria Police (highway patrol) and NEMA, recovered the bodies of two dead adult males. We have commenced the demolition of the affected building.”

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The body of the bride-to-be had been identified in the morgue while the groom-to-be is still missing.

Twenty-eight passengers were said to be on board the boat belonging to Bell Marine which capsized about 6pm on Wednesday at the Third Mainland Bridge – Oworonsoki axis on its way to Majidun area of Ikorodu.

Apart from those who drowned, other their valuables, including cash, were lost in the accident. Investigation shows that most of the victims were residents of Ikorodu who chose to travel by water to circumvent the perennial traffic gridlock on Ikorodu Road. They were said to be returning home from Ebute Ero Jetty, where they boarded the boat.

But 12 passengers were lucky to be rescued by the emergency agencies, while a few of the passengers died on their way to the hospital. Some of the survivors said they lost valuable items. One of them said she lost N200,000. The management of Bell Marine claimed the boat hit a rock before it capsized, claiming that no one was missing.

Emergency agencies, including local divers, marine policemen, Navy Marine, police disaster rescue unit, officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA), and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) had a hectic time trying to recover more bodies.

There were, however, conflicting reports from the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) and Lagos State Inland Waterways Authority (LASWA).

NEMA claimed two pregnant women died in the incident while LASWA argued it was only a pregnant woman. But a car belonging to one of the victims was still parked at the Bell Marine Jetty. The victim’s body is yet to be found.

One of the survivors, Abimbola Bunmi, said 25 passengers were on board. Bunmi is a trader on Lagos Island who deals on shoes at Ebute Ero market. Another victim, identified as Isaac Akere, was declared missing.

Meanwhile, LASWA said in a statement that the accident involved a passenger boat belonging to Bell Marine and has 21 passengers on board when it capsized.

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