Fire gutted the Western Marine Command office of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa, on Monday, destroying properties worth millions of Naira.
The inferno, which reportedly started at about 10:23 a.m. from an electrical surge in the conference room, spread to other sections of the building.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), officers on duty made frantic efforts to contain the fire before officials of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service arrived at about 10:45 a.m.
The Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Timothy Jonah, who just resumed at the Command, to take over the affairs from his predecessor, described the incident as unfortunate.
“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.
He commended the swift response of the personnel on duty and their collaboration with the fire service, saying measures would be taken to strengthen safety protocols and prevent a recurrence.
