The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Wednesday deployed a high-powered technical team from Abuja to Lagos to strengthen multi-agency response at the Great Nigeria Insurance House fire on Lagos Island.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NEMA Director-General, Mrs Zubaida Umar, who approved the deployment aimed at providing technical support and improving coordination of rescue and recovery efforts at the affected 22-storey building.
The technical team led by the agency’s Director, Search and Rescue, Air Commodore Usman Bature, arrived in Lagos on Wednesday night and proceeded to the incident site.
On arrival, Bature held an operational meeting with responders and conducted a preliminary assessment of the situation.
The Great Nigeria Insurance House fire broke out on Dec. 24, 2025 on Martins Street, Lagos Island, starting on upper floors and spreading through warehouses and offices, prompting multi-agency emergency response.
Firefighters, including NEMA, LASEMA have been battling the blaze for days as adjoining buildings faced risk; casualties are limited, but structural damage led authorities to plan demolition and ongoing safety assessments.
He reaffirmed NEMA’s commitment to work with the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), federal and state fire services, security agencies and other stakeholders for a safe and coordinated rescue effort.
He said the priority was to expedite rescue and recovery efforts while ensuring the safety of emergency workers and members of the public at the scene.
According to him, the deployment of the team is to reinforce the work of its Lagos Operations Office, which has been active at the site since the fire outbreak.
The NEMA director assured the public that necessary measures were being taken with relevant agencies to manage the situation and support affected persons.
In his remarks, Mr Mohammed Olatunde, Head, Lagos Operations Office, NEMA, said that six persons had been recovered so far, while 13 with various injuries had been treated and had gone home.
Olatunde said that further updates would be provided as emergency operations continue at the scene.
NAN reports that the building reportedly housed textile materials, which intensified the blaze and complicated response operations by emergency teams.
