LASEMA tackles multiple emergencies across Lagos, records no casualties

Obaloluwa Darasimi

The Lagos State Emergency
Management Agency (LASEMA) has successfully responded to a series of fire outbreaks, road crashes and traffic emergencies across Lagos, with no loss of life recorded.

The incidents occurred between Sunday, August 10, and the early hours of Monday, August 11, 2026.

In a statement, the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, said the swift emergency responses were in line with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s directive to safeguard lives and property across the state.

According to him, the first incident was a fire outbreak at about 7:37 p.m. on Sunday at No. 23 Shaba Ojo Street, Omolade, Igando.

He said LASEMA’s Dolphin Team, working alongside the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, quickly contained the inferno, preventing it from spreading to other apartments in the building.

Barely 30 minutes later, at about 8:05 p.m., the agency responded to a multiple-vehicle crash on Otedola Bridge, inward Lagos.

The accident involved a 20-foot container truck, an axle-laden truck, a 45,000-litre Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) tanker and a Toyota Camry.

Preliminary findings indicated that the axle-laden truck rammed into a broken-down container truck before the tanker crashed into the vehicles.

Oke-Osanyintolu said emergency responders from LASEMA, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service promptly secured the scene, managed traffic and prevented secondary accidents.

He added that the damaged vehicles were evacuated using LASEMA’s tow truck and privately owned recovery trucks, after which the roadway was cleared and reopened to traffic.

Later at about 11:30 p.m., LASEMA’s Tiger Squad was dispatched to Anifowoshe, Ikeja, following a fire outbreak in a two-bedroom apartment.
The Permanent Secretary said firefighters immediately commenced operations with the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, successfully confining the blaze to one bedroom before extinguishing it completely.

“No casualty was recorded, and the team returned to base after concluding recovery operations,” he said.

In another incident at about 2:10 a.m. on Monday, LASEMA prevented a major traffic gridlock after a Renault truck loaded with clothes developed a mechanical fault and broke down inward Idi-Oro, Mushin, blocking the entire carriageway.

The agency’s emergency team immediately took over traffic control while its heavy-duty recovery vehicle, Super Metro, evacuated the truck to a nearby lay-by, allowing normal vehicular movement to resume.

Oke-Osanyintolu commended the professionalism and prompt response of all emergency agencies involved in the operations.

He also urged residents to observe basic safety measures by avoiding the overloading of electrical appliances, ensuring proper maintenance of vehicles and reporting emergencies through the Lagos State emergency toll-free lines, *767 and 112.

He reaffirmed LASEMA’s commitment to disaster risk reduction, effective emergency response and the protection of lives and property across Lagos State.
If you’d like, I can also give it a more punchy front-page newspaper style with a stronger intro and shorter paragraphs.