Sanwo-Olu orders demolition of fire-ravaged 25-storey GNI house after inspection

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has announced that the 25-storey Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) House on Lagos Island, which was gutted by fire, will be demolished once the inferno is completely extinguished.

The governor gave the directive on Thursday while inspecting the scene of the fire at Martins Street, Lagos Island. 

He disclosed that a committee headed by the Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Gbenga Oyerinde, has been set up to determine the safest and quickest method to bring down the structure within a few days.

According to Sanwo-Olu, preliminary findings indicated that the building, originally designed for office use, had been converted into a warehouse, with most of its floors used to store highly combustible materials.

He said the fire reportedly started on the fourth and fifth floors before spreading rapidly to the upper levels late on Wednesday night.

“This building has had fire incidents in the past. Unfortunately, it was being used as a warehouse, with inflammable materials stored across multiple floors, which made firefighting extremely difficult,” the governor said.

He explained that although first responders arrived early and deployed aerial ladder equipment, the intensity of the blaze increased around 8 p.m. due to the nature of materials stored inside the building. 

He confirmed that there were no recorded fatalities, adding that between seven and ten people sustained injuries and were taken to hospital by ambulances operated by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA). 

He also noted that parts of the building had already suffered partial collapse, making demolition inevitable once the fire is fully subdued.

Sanwo-Olu renewed calls for heightened fire safety awareness during the dry season, particularly between December and February, when harmattan conditions increase fire risks.

“People must stop storing highly inflammable materials in residential and office buildings, especially in densely populated market areas. We will intensify advocacy and enforcement to prevent a repeat of this,” he said. 

The operational commander of the Federal Fire Service in Lagos, Musa Emmanuel, said firefighters were still battling the blaze till now, adding that the close proximity of buildings and unknown contents of the affected structures complicated suppression efforts. 

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According to him, no injuries or loss of life had been recorded so far and that the cause of the fire would only be determined after the incident site is secured.

More than 10 buildings has been affected by the fire, with at least two severely damaged and several others partially impacted. 

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Lagos State Management Agency, Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Federal Fire Service, and Lagos State Traffic Management Authority are all on the ground to manage the inferno.