The fire incident that occurred at Afriland Towers on Broad Street, Lagos Island, on Tuesday afternoon has been described as one incident too many in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital.
In its Mid-Year Activity Report for January to June 2025, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service (LSFRS) revealed that it responded to a total of 1,072 emergency incidents within this period.
These incidents comprised 922 fire calls, two minor explosion incidents, 10 building collapses, eight of them partial, 73 rescue operations, and 65 salvage incidents. Property valued at approximately N64.32 billion was saved, while losses were estimated at N10.72 billion, according to Margaret Adeseye, Director, LSFRS.
In the LSFRS mid-year activity report in 2023, Adeseye revealed that the state recorded 1,642 fire incidents between January and June of that year, with some casualties. She added that while 177 persons were rescued, about N14.62 billion worth of properties were destroyed.
Quite a good number of these incidents occurred in Lagos Island, raising concerns as to why buildings in this otherwise prime location in Lagos metropolis are frequently set on fire with the attendant loss of lives and destruction of properties and other valuables.
The Afriland Towers is a six-storey building owned by Afriland Properties, the real estate investment arm of Heirs Holdings Group, which has the billionaire banker, Tony Elumelu, as chairman.
The fire incident in the building, which houses a branch of the United Bank for Africa and other companies, was said to have originated from the inverter room located in the basement of the building, from where smoke spread across multiple floors and engulfed the structure.
Multiple videos shared on social media and aired by television stations showed individuals, mainly staff of the companies housed by the building, attempting to jump from the storey building, while others were rescued with the aid of ladders brought by residents and passersby.
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This was a frightening spectacle and, according to an official statement by Ogabi Olajide, the Deputy Controller of LSFRS, four yet-to-be-identified persons are currently battling for their lives as a result of injuries sustained from the incident.
Many Lagosians and state government officials have expressed worry over these frequent fire incidents in the state. Oluyinka Olumide, the state’s Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, had revealed, after a similar incident in 2024, that the state government was embarking on value enhancement of the city with emphasis on Lagos Island, which has a lack of access as its major challenge. That intention is yet to be materialised in real terms.
It has been observed that, in this location, most roads are clogged and made impassable by trading activities which are done in defiance of extant laws that prohibit street trading. “The government finds it difficult to enforce this law because street trading is a source of revenue. Revenue collection from traders is given out mostly as ‘job for the boys,” a resident who did not want to be named, told BusinessDay.
According to the resident, in some cases, buildings cannot be accessed because of other buildings which have been developed without regard to physical planning laws and the regulatory framework for developments.
Incidents like the Afriland Towers and Mandilas fire incidents make it necessary for the government to take physical planning and building regulations seriously. Regulation, according to Hakeem Oguniran, CEO, Eximia Realty Company, is very important in real estate investment, transaction and development. He therefore enjoined the state government to see it as such.
Other experts who spoke to our reporter suggested that the government should start building fire stations in strategic locations. Expectation here is that the response, in case of any emergency, has to be swift and timely, leading to the safety of lives and properties.
“We have seen cases where fire fighters come several hours after calling them and this is because they are not always near the scene of incidents or they are held up in traffic as is the case in Lagos. These men are supposed to be the first responders but, oftentimes, they are not,” Francis Oledibe, a businessman on Lagos Island, said.
Oledibe canvassed that roads should be accessible, explaining that, most times, fire losses are of great magnitude because roads are not accessible. “Government should build roads that could allow for free vehicular movements in case of emergency,” he pleaded.
