A China-based clothier, identified simply as Obum, has been recovered dead alongside a male and a female adult from the rubble of the Great Nigeria Insurance House plaza, which was gutted by fire in the Balogun Market area of Lagos Island, Lagos State.
The fire started on the fourth floor on Wednesday and spread to the sixth floor of the 25-storey building before engulfing the remaining floors and adjoining structures.
A detached section of the plaza, however, collapsed during the inferno, thereby trapping some traders and market assistants.
A source in the agency had earlier said that the two adult males were recovered on Friday, one at about 11:03am and the second at about 12:03pm.
Meanwhile, a trader, Zacheaus Afolayan, confirmed that one of the male adults was discovered to be that of Obum.
“When his body was released to us later in the day, we discovered that it was Obum. His body was intact, and the family had taken it to their village in Anambra for burial,” Afolayan disclosed.
During a visit to the scene of the incident on Thursday, Afolayan said Obum was evacuating his goods when the structure fell on him.
He said, “Obum’s store is behind the plaza. He had already evacuated almost all his goods when the fire was spreading, and went back to carry the last ones. That was when the detached part of the plaza, which had been weakened by the fire, collapsed on his store.”
Afolayan added that Obum contacted him from beneath the rubble in the early hours of Thursday, confirming that he was still alive.
“He called me around 2am from under the rubble, and that was when we knew he was still alive. He said he was not the only one trapped there. He was begging us not to allow him die, saying no one would take care of his children. He is based in China and only comes home during festive periods to do business,” he said.
Afolayan, who also owns a shop in the market, said Obum called again on Thursday afternoon but sounded weaker.
Meanwhile, families of other victims trapped under the rubble have called for more support for the emergency responders working at the scene.
