Susan Abayomi
A fire outbreak has damaged offices and equipment at the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Western Marine Command in Apapa, Lagos, with property worth millions of naira reportedly affected.
The incident occurred on Monday, September 28, 2026, after smoke was noticed in parts of the command’s premises. Initial reports indicated that the fire started at about 10:23 a.m. in the conference room following an electrical surge before spreading to other sections of the building.
Officers on duty immediately responded to the situation and attempted to contain the blaze before personnel of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service arrived to assist with the firefighting operation.
The incident occurred shortly after Timothy Jonah assumed duty as Deputy Comptroller of Customs at the command.
Jonah described the development as unfortunate and said the command would investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire.
He also commended the Customs personnel who responded to the emergency and worked alongside the state fire service to contain the outbreak.
Following the incident, the command said a committee would be constituted to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the fire and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence.
The Customs Service subsequently confirmed that no life was lost and no injury was recorded in the incident. It also stated that its core operations remained unaffected and continued normally.
The command further said it would strengthen its safety measures to protect personnel, facilities and equipment from similar incidents in the future.
The Western Marine Command is responsible for Customs operations in Nigeria’s maritime environment, including activities related to revenue collection, trade facilitation and enforcement along the waterways.
