On Sunday, August 11, in the early hours, a fire broke out at LG Electronics’ warehouse in Abule Osun, Trade Fair, Lagos State. The blaze, which started shortly after midnight, caused extensive damage, destroying goods worth billions of Naira.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) received distress calls at 12:15 am via its toll-free emergency lines. Fire officials arrived on the scene 25 minutes later to combat the blaze.
According to Nosa Okunbor, Head of the Public Affairs Unit of LASEMA, the fire ravaged equipment, small forklifts, household gadgets such as TVs, refrigerators, and air conditioners, with losses estimated in the hundreds of billions of naira.
The agency’s statement confirmed that the fire had been contained through coordinated efforts involving the LASEMA LRT, LRU Fire Unit, Lagos State Fire & Rescue Service, Federal Fire Service, and other emergency responders. These efforts were crucial in preventing the fire from spreading to nearby structures, including additional warehouses, a gas station, diesel tankers, expatriate quarters, and other adjoining buildings.
However, amidst the chaos, some employees reportedly seized the opportunity to steal. According to a worker who spoke with Punch, a combined team of police and military personnel was deployed to the warehouse due to reports of theft by some staff members.
The worker described the scene: “We were in the store when some of our colleagues alerted us that a fire had started in a part of the store. We started looking for a way to stop the fire at that moment. While some of us were doing that, a few others broke into the offices and started stealing foreign currencies from our employers.”
Several of the alleged thieves were apprehended and questioned by soldiers on-site. One of those arrested, identified as Ali Baba, was seen being detained by soldiers.
He was briefly led outside the gate to help identify other suspects involved in the theft.
“Ali Baba has been with the company for over a decade. He has a very close relationship with his employers. He was very young and it had been about 10 years when he arrived here before he rose to the position of a supervisor. The way he was handled by the soldiers showed he is among those held by the officers,” a customer who bought scraps from the warehouse told the publication.
