Heart-wrenching details have surfaced from the tragic fire incident that gutted and partly collapsed the Great Nigeria Insurance House plaza at Balogun Market, Lagos Island, last week.
One of the victims, a China-based cloth merchant identified as Nze Obum, has now been confirmed dead after being trapped beneath the rubble when part of the building collapsed during the inferno.
The fire reportedly started on Wednesday, on the 4th floor of the 25-storey building, before spreading rapidly to higher floors and nearby structures. As the fire intensified, a detached section of the plaza gave way, trapping traders and market assistants who were still inside.
Emergency responders later recovered two male bodies on Friday, one of which was identified as Obum.
A trader at the market, Zacheaus Afolayan, confirmed Obum’s death, stating that his body was released to the family later that day and has since been taken to Anambra State for burial.
According to Afolayan, Obum was in the process of evacuating his goods when tragedy struck.
He explained that Obum had already moved most of his items from his shop, which is located behind the plaza, but returned to retrieve the remaining goods when the fire spread. It was at that moment the weakened part of the building collapsed.
Even more heartbreaking, Obum reportedly made phone calls from under the rubble in the early hours of Thursday, confirming he was still alive at the time.
Afolayan said Obum called him around 2 a.m., begging for help and pleading not to be left to die, saying his children had no one else to care for them. He disclosed that Obum lives and works in China and only comes back to Nigeria during festive periods to trade.
He added that Obum called again later that afternoon, but his voice was noticeably weaker.
