- Safiu Kehinde
A Lagos-based clergyman, Rev. Fr. William Omatu, has blamed slow emergency response over the death of his three brothers Stephen Omatu, 40; Casmir Omatu, 39 and, Collins Omatu, 37 who died in the Great Nigeria Insurance House fire.
NPO Reported that a major fire had on Christmas Eve broken out at the GNI House- a high-rise building located at 47/57 Martins Street, Lagos Island.
The incident which occurred around 5pm and lasted for days had claimed the lives of eight occupants including the Omatu brothers.
Sequel to the tragic incident, William Omatu condemned the emergency response team during the Service of Songs and Requiem Mass held for Stephen, Casmir and Collins Omatu at Jesus The Saviour Catholic Church, Bucknor, Ejigbo on Wednesday night.
The clergyman alleged that there was inadequate water supply and delayed rescue efforts during the multi-day incident in Lagos.
Omatu said his three brothers were trapped in the 22-storey building as family members pleaded for urgent help from responders at the scene.
He alleged that firefighters arrived with limited water and were unable to sustain operations, leaving trapped victims without meaningful assistance, in spite of repeated appeals from distressed relatives outside the building.
According to him, the incident began on December 24, and stretched for several days, with families expressing frustration over insufficient and slow emergency intervention.
Also speaking, another Catholic cleric, Rev. Fr. Steve-Greg Chekwube, urged architects, builders and landlords to provide emergency exits and safety features in buildings, to prevent avoidable deaths during disasters.
Chekwube said that every building should make room for escape routes in emergencies, noting that life remained more precious than property or structures.
He told mourners that, for Christians, death was a passage to eternal life, and an inevitable reality that no one could escape.
According to him, the tragic death of the three brothers, though painful, should strengthen faith and hope in God.
The Rev. Fr. prayed for the repose of the deceased and comfort for all affected families, declaring that such incidents should not reoccur.
Meanwhile, emergency response teams including the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the Lagos State Fire & Rescue Service, the Federal Fire Service, Nigerian Police, Red Cross and other responders were reportedly deployed to the scene in the wake of the fire outbreak.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the blaze originated on the 4th floor of the building — reportedly in an apartment or office and rapidly spread upward to at least the 6th floor and beyond, escalating into a full-blown inferno before firefighters could contain it.
The fire also affected adjacent structures, including a nearby mosque and some parts of the Oluwole Plaza.
Eight people were confirmed dead by the Lagos State Government, including three brothers (the Omatu brothers), whose burial have been scheduled for January 14.
A surviving twin, Camillus Omatu, was said to have narrowly escaped the incident.