GNI fire: LASEMA reaffirms commitment to victims’ compensation

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has begun the process of possible compensation of families of victims affected by the Great Nigeria Insurance House (GNI) fire incident on Martins Street, Lagos Island.

The Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent on Monday in Lagos.

Oke-Osanyintolu told Our correspondent that the agency on Monday commenced a victim enumeration exercise as part of ongoing post-incident recovery efforts, adding that the exercise was being carried out in collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

According to him, relatives of victims and other individuals affected by the GNI fire are required to present themselves for the exercise, which is scheduled to take place at the Adeyemi Bero Centre, Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja, from Feb. 9 to Feb. 13.

He explained that the enumeration exercise was aimed at ensuring proper documentation, facilitating recovery support, and enabling appropriate follow-up actions for those affected by the incident.

The permanent secretary urged members of the public to cooperate with officials conducting the exercise and assured that further updates would be communicated as necessary.

Our correspondent recalls that on Dec. 24, 2025, a large fire broke out at the GNI House, a tall commercial building on Martins Street, Lagos Island, a crowded and historic market area.

The fire was reported to have begun in an office/warehouse section on one of the lower floors and quickly escalated vertically through the building’s many floors, overwhelming initial response efforts and spreading to several adjacent properties.