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Federal Airports Authority Of Nigeria Up In Flames

SaharaReporters learnt that the cause of the inferno, which sent staffers and visitors to scamper to safety, was unknown, although eyewitnesses said a swift effort by the Airport Fire Service put out the fire but only after the damage had been done.

Fire gutted the headquarters building of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) in Lagos, Nigeria on Tuesday, leaving the audit, communication departments as well as some commercial offices of the agency in ruins.

SaharaReporters learnt that the cause of the inferno, which sent staffers and visitors to scamper to safety, was unknown, although eyewitnesses said a swift effort by the Airport Fire Service put out the fire but only after the damage had been done.

Lagos State Commissioner for Police, Fatai Owoseni, who was at the scene of the incident, said vital documents and the building had been mostly affected, although he said no life was lost.

"The fire fighters were joined by other security agencies to avert what could have been a major disaster," Owoseni said.

"We are commencing investigation shortly to determine the cause of the incident in addition to the documents that were destroyed and the extent of damage to other areas of the building," the police commissioner added.

Outbreak of fire at public buildings is a common phenomenon in Nigeria, dating back especially to the 1980s and 1990s. Inquiries launched to determine the cause of fire were also left inconclusive or never made public when concluded.

Investigations into public spending by previous administrations have been mooted by the incumbent administration, although without a concise focus, and it is not unlikely that this may have triggered the latest fire outbreak at the FAAN headquarters.

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