Seven days after the devastating fire and partial collapse of the Great Nigeria Insurance Building at Balogun Market, Lagos Island, Stephen Onyeka Omatu and his two brothers remain trapped beneath the rubble, as families intensify calls for urgent intervention by the Lagos State Government and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA).
For seven painful days, a wife has waited endlessly for her husband. For seven days, children have continued to ask after their father. For seven days, relatives have stood helplessly under the scorching heat, pleading for accelerated rescue efforts or at least the recovery of the bodies of their loved ones.
The three siblings, said to be from the same mother, were among traders and market assistants caught when a section of the multi-storey building collapsed during the inferno that broke out last Wednesday in the Balogun Market area of Lagos Island.
Relatives and colleagues of the victims have appealed to the Lagos State Government and emergency responders to urgently deploy heavier equipment and increase manpower to enable access to the most affected areas of the rubble.
According to Hybridnewsng, the fire started on the fourth floor of the 25-storey building, spread to the sixth floor, and later engulfed other sections and adjoining structures. A detached portion of the complex, estimated to be about seven floors, eventually collapsed, trapping traders and market assistants.
Emergency responders rescued 13 persons alive shortly after the collapse, while three bodies were recovered on Friday, including that of a China-based cloth dealer identified simply as Obum.
However, by Sunday, no fewer than 20 persons were still believed to be trapped under the rubble, according to relatives and eyewitnesses at the scene.
A source told Hybridnewsng: “My classmate and vice president of our alumni association, Stephen Onyeka Omatu, alongside his two brothers and several other Nigerians, are still trapped after the Balogun fire. Families are waiting in pain and heat. We urgently appeal to the Lagos State Government and emergency agencies to act faster. These are real people, not just headlines.”
One of the relatives, Alhaja Muibat Ajetumobi, said her brother, Taofeek, was assisting traders when the building collapsed.
“Taofeek is my street brother and lives at Pedro. When the fire started, he rushed to help his friends move their goods. That was when part of the building collapsed on them. He has been under the rubble since then. I know the responders are trying, but they need more hands. I have not slept since this happened.”
Another relative, Augustine Nwafor, said two of his brothers Onyeka and Ikechukwu were also trapped. “One is my maternal brother and the other is my village brother. What we need now is more manpower and equipment. The fire is still burning in some areas, and LASEMA officials cannot reach the exact spot because of the heat. Once fire engines leave to refill water, work stops for hours.”
Similarly, Fatima Ibitoye, whose brothers Aborinwa and Omoniyi are among the trapped, stressed the urgent need for increased water supply.
“What we need most now is water. That is what the responders themselves are asking for. About seven or eight fire engines came, and we appreciate that. But the exact location where our people are trapped is still burning.
We believe nearly 20 people are still under the rubble. Even if they are no longer alive, we are begging the authorities to help recover their bodies so families can have closure.”
A senior official of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media, confirmed that another body was discovered on Sunday.
“We recovered a body, but it was only half. Efforts are ongoing to retrieve the remaining part,” the official said.
Search-and-rescue operations officially entered the seventh day, with families expressing growing frustration over the slow pace of recovery caused by intense heat, persistent fire pockets, and limited access to the collapsed section.
Meanwhile, Great Nigeria Insurance Plc (GNI) has clarified that it neither occupies nor operates from the affected building. In a statement signed by its management, the company expressed sympathy to victims and businesses affected by the fire, describing the incident as unfortunate.
GNI explained that it was granted a long lease on the bare land at No. 47/57 Martins Street by the Shitta-Bey family, with the lease scheduled to expire on December 31, 2036, and that it constructed the 25-storey building strictly as an investment property.
The company disclosed that it has been embroiled in a prolonged legal dispute with the Shitta-Bey family over ownership and possession of the property.
According to the statement: “In 2020, during the pendency of appeals, the Shitta-Bey family, in disregard of court orders and during the subsistence of GNI’s unexpired leasehold, forcefully took possession of the property and leased it to tenants without recourse to GNI.”
GNI added that the courts had ordered the family to vacate the premises and restrained them from further acts of trespass, but appeals are still pending.
“For over five years, GNI has been denied physical possession of the property. We have no dealings with the occupants of the building and do not operate from the premises,” the company stated, adding that the fire incident has not affected its operations.