The quiet of the early morning was shattered in Ikeja on Tuesday when flames tore through a one-storey commercial building at Somoye Osundairo Street, Computer Village, leaving behind charred walls and losses running into millions of naira.
Shortly before 2 a.m., distress calls flooded the Lagos emergency lines. At exactly 1:55 a.m., the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) received the alert through its 767/112 toll-free numbers, triggering an immediate response from the state’s Command and Control Centre in Alausa.
By 2:15 a.m., emergency responders had arrived at the scene — only to meet a raging fire already consuming the structure. Thick plumes of smoke billowed into the night sky, a sign of the intense combustion taking place inside the building.
Preliminary findings revealed that the affected structure served as a hub for computer and accessories dealers, with large quantities of electronic equipment stored within. According to a report signed by LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, the abundance of highly combustible materials accelerated the spread of the fire.
Although no casualties were reported, traders were left counting heavy losses as computers, accessories and other valuables were reduced to ashes.
Emergency teams worked through the early hours to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to nearby buildings in the densely packed commercial district.
As dawn broke over Computer Village, the smell of smoke lingered — a reminder of how swiftly livelihoods can vanish in the face of disaster.
