The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and key stakeholders have urged caution as recovery operations continue at the fire-damaged Great Nigeria Insurance House in Lagos.
Speaking on Thursday at the Martins Street site, NEMA’s Director of Search and Rescue, Air Commodore Usman Bature, said operations have now entered the recovery phase, nine days after the incident, following the conclusion of active search-and-rescue efforts.
Touring the site with officials from LASEMA and federal and state fire services, Bature described the situation as “sad” and noted that structural integrity assessments were ongoing.
“This is day nine. The search-and-rescue phase has expired. We are now in the recovery phase,” he said, adding that professionals were evaluating the building to advise authorities on the safest way forward.
Bature stressed the importance of enforcing a 50-metre safety perimeter, warning that the compromised structure could fail without notice. “Fifty metres is appropriate for safety, but the building’s stability is in question and it could give way at any time,” he said.
Lagos State Controller of the Federal Fire Service, Mrs. Funke Adebayo, said residual fire pockets remain in the basement. “Fabric materials stored there are highly combustible and take longer to extinguish, so smouldering will continue until debris is cleared,” she said. She urged traders and onlookers to respect restrictions to prevent secondary casualties. “We do not want rescuers to become victims. Barriers mean people must keep away because the building could collapse at any time,” Adebayo added.
Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) Acting General Manager, Mrs. Florence Gbaye, announced plans to safely deconstruct the weakened building. She said engineers, planners, architects, and builders had been invited to develop a safe deconstruction plan.
“We want the safest approach to deconstructing the building, and all stakeholders must comply with the 50-metre radius,” Gbaye said. She also warned against reports of people entering the premises at night to salvage property, stressing public safety.
The building caught fire on December 24, 2025, and residual smoke from basement materials remains visible nine days later.
