Metro
Lagos Begins Demolition of Burnt Building at Balogun Market
The Lagos State Government has commenced the demolition of the five-storey building that was razed at the Balogun Market on the Lagos Island on Tuesday.
The demolition began after Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had visited the scene to commiserate with traders, who lost goods worth millions of naira to the inferno, which raged for about 23 hours.
According to the governor, the incident has brought to the fore the need for a total regeneration of the Lagos Island to prevent occurrences that can endanger the lives of the people.
According to him, the government will hold meetings with the owners of abandoned high-rise buildings in the area to fashion out better uses for such properties.
Sanwo-Olu said the government would conduct integrity test on all buildings in the Central Business District of the Lagos Island and revisit the master plan for the regeneration of the area.
Sanwo-Olu stated, “This fire incident presents discussion for a complete regeneration of the Lagos Island. Here, we have a lot of buildings as old as a century. Now is the time to look into the master plan for a complete regeneration of the entire area. All families must support our move to start the regeneration.
“We also have abandoned high-rise buildings on the island and we have done an audit of all these buildings. We need to have conversation with the owners on how we can put the abandoned properties to better use.
“There are a lot of traders, who wish to take their wares off the road and occupy these abandoned buildings. We need to talk to the owners and reach an agreement with them on a scheme that will make traders use the abandoned properties.
“I have summoned an emergency meeting with all local government chairmen. We cannot condone the reckless approach in which shops are allocated to people in a manner that is not coordinated. When problems arise, they come back to the state government. We will not fold our arms and wait for disasters like this to be repeated.”
The General Manager, Lagos Building Control Agency, Abiola Kosegbe, said the building suffered partial collapse, adding that the demolition had to be undertaken to avert disaster.
Kosegbe stated, “We had to do the needful; the fire is still raging and it is difficult for our officials to go too close. The inferno prevented us from doing all the necessary things.
“A part of the burning building has partially collapsed; everywhere in the building is still hot, so LASBCA, in conjunction with the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency had to go into the building, systematically bringing it down so that it will not cause other problems.”
The General Manager, LASEMA, Oluwafemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said, “We are pulling it down for reconstruction and we will also subject the surrounding buildings to a structural test. The policeman, who was rescued from the rubble of the collapsed portion of the building, has died.”
The acting Head, Lagos State Fire Service, Margaret Adeseye, said the fire raged for 23 hours, adding that it started on the second floor, where the generators were kept.
“The building in the Balogun Market suffered a partial collapse on Tuesday around 9pm during the course of extinguishing the fire. The challenge that we had was that the area had narrow roads and the human population affected accessibility to the building. We finally extinguished the fire before the governor came around 10am on Wednesday,” she stated.
The Punch
A middle-aged woman, Christine Chika Anyanwu, who was paralysed for one year, has shared the incredible story of how she miraculously regained the use of her legs.
Anyanwu who lives in the United Kingdom gave her testimony at Zion Ministry, Okota, Lagos, last Wednesday. She disclosed that her problem started on March 26, 2025, when she collapsed at work in London and became unconscious, and was later diagnosed with functional neurological disorder.
After four months of admission in the hospital, she was discharged to continue treatment from home. She suffered several falls and multiple seizures at home and damaged her spine, and this compounded the problem. She was confined to a wheelchair for one year, with all the medical specialists she consulted in the United Kingdom saying she was unlikely to walk again.
Anyanwu said she was on the verge of giving up on life, but decided to make one final effort by heeding her mother’s counsel to seek for God’s intervention at Zion Prayer Movement Outreach in Lagos. Despite discouragement from siblings and a Catholic Nun who warned her not to go to Zion, and against the advice of her doctors not to travel over a long distance in her condition, she embarked on the trip to Lagos.
It was at last Wednesday’s Adoration programme of the ministry, that the Spiritual Director, Evangelist Chukwuebuka Anozie Obi, who noticed the woman confined to a mobility scooter, conducted a deliverance and prayer session for her.
What followed threw the auditorium into a frenzy as Anyanwu who had neither used her legs not stood up from her wheelchair got up from the scooter and started walking. When she returned to share her testimony, her siblings and the Nun who advised her against going to Zion Ministry now joined in celebrating her healing.
As part of efforts to ensure a transparent recruitment of 50,000 police constables, the Police Service Commission (PSC) has co-opted the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) as a critical partner in the screening process.
Head of Protocol and Public Affairs at PSC Headquarters, Abuja, Torty Njoku Kalu, said in a statement on Thursday that the decision was jointly taken during a high-level stakeholders’ meeting convened by the PSC in Abuja.
According to him, this forms part of the final preparations for the physical and credentials screening stage of the recruitment exercise, scheduled to commence on Monday, March 9, 2026, at designated locations across all 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
Chairman of the Police Service Commission, DIG Hashimu Argungu (rtd.), commended the PCRC for its relentless sacrifices and commitment to national security. He acknowledged PCRC’s tradition of investing personal resources in national security, and urged it to bring that same level of dedication to the recruitment process.
“The Commission is resolutely poised to ensure that only the finest and most credible Nigerians wear the uniform of a police constable. An effective police force is built on the quality of its recruitment,” DIG Argungu stated.
“This is why we have called upon you, the PCRC, and other stakeholders to serve as the guardians of this process.”
He charged the PCRC state chairmen to work with PSC officials, state employment and career departments, as well as the NPF State Intelligence Department (SID), to scrutinise applicants.
Their mandate includes verifying character traits to prevent individuals with questionable backgrounds from infiltrating the Force.
Responding on behalf of the PCRC National Chairman, Alhaji Ibraheem Olaniyan, the Deputy National President (North), Amb. Wada Sadiq, expressed profound gratitude to the PSC for the confidence reposed in them.
He pledged the Committee’s full support in selecting credible Nigerians for the Force.
The Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, has reportedly removed Benjamin Hundeyin as the Force Public Relations Officer (PRO) and replaced him with a new appointee, though the name hasn’t been officially announced.
Hundeyin was previously serving as the Lagos Command PRO before being promoted to the national role.
This move comes as part of Disu’s efforts to revamp the Nigeria Police Force and improve its public image.
As the 23rd IGP, Disu has emphasized professionalism, accountability, and transparency, warning officers that there will be no tolerance for misconduct or abuse of power.
