Electrical Surge Triggers Fire At Customs Apapa Office, Destroys Property Worth Millions

An electrical surge on Monday triggered a fire at the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Western Marine Command office in Apapa, Lagos, destroying property worth millions of naira.

The fire, which started at about 10:23am in the conference room, reportedly spread to other sections of the building before personnel on duty and officials of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service moved to contain the inferno.

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It was gathered that Customs officers made frantic efforts to put out the fire before officials of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service arrived at about 10:45am.

The incident occurred as the newly posted Customs Area Controller, Deputy Comptroller, Timothy Jonah, resumed at the command to take over from his predecessor.

Jonah, who described the incident as unfortunate, 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.”

He commended the swift response of personnel on duty and their collaboration with the fire service in containing the outbreak.

The Customs boss said measures would be taken to strengthen safety protocols at the command and prevent a recurrence.