Peter Obi, the former Anambra State Governor and last Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the Nigeria 2023 general elections has insisted that the three brothers among the 12 persons that died as a result of fire that engulfed the 25-storey Building of Great Nigeria Insurance House plaza at Balogun Market in Lagos Island on Christmas eve, called for help for days with no emergency response from the government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying, the three siblings; Mr Stephen Onyeka Omatu  aged 40, Mr Casmir Nnabuike Omatu aged 39, and Mr Collins Kenechukwu Omatu aged 37, for days, sent “distressing pleas for help while trapped in the building, yet there were no emergency services to rescue them, Several days passed in the rubble before their bodies were finally recovered, Several days of unanswered calls, of a system that failed them at the moment they needed it most”, Peter Obi made this statement after attending the burial ceremony of the three siblings held at Uzoakwa community in Ihiala local government area of Anambra State on Wednesday, after Lagos State Government through the office of the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso in a statement issued on January 1, 2026 stated that as soon as the fire alarm was received on the day, the government deployed teams of first responders to the scene, including the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Lagos State Ambulance Services, security agencies, and other emergency and safety units, but, this statement from the Lagos State Government appears not to be inline with an eyewitness account, a resident who spoke with News Central Television at the scene of the fire incident that a phone call was made across to a fire service in Lagos State, but the fire service demanded ₦30 million service fee before the fire service would respond to the emergency issue, this, the resident added that if the fire service had responded on time, the entire building would have been saved probably with no life lost because the fire was only at a single floor when the fire service was called.

According to Punch Newspaper, the three siblings “died after being trapped inside the burning high-rise building in Lagos, an incident that shocked residents and reignited concerns over fire safety and emergency response in the country. According to family sources, the intensity of the inferno made rescue efforts impossible, and only ashes were recovered for burial.

The burial brought grief and sorrow to Ihiala community, with residents praying that “their souls find rest and that their family finds strength to pass through this trying time.”

After the burial, emotions ran high as the young wives of the deceased, family members, friends, schoolmates, and sympathisers gathered to bid a painful farewell.

Some attendees, dressed in black and carrying posters of the three siblings, wept openly, struggling to come to terms with the tragedy that sent shock waves across the community.

PUNCH Online had reported on January 7 that the fire started on the fourth floor and spread to the sixth before engulfing the remaining floors and adjoining structures.

A detached section of the plaza, estimated at about seven floors high, collapsed during the inferno, trapping some traders and market assistants. One of the families worst affected was the Omatu family, which lost three brothers: Steve (40), Casmir (39), and Collins (37). The siblings were trapped in the building and are believed to have died in the fire. A surviving twin, Camillus Omatu, reportedly escaped the blaze”.

Peter Obi in a statement published through his verified social media accounts, said; “Yesterday, I attended a deeply emotional and heartbreaking burial of three siblings, Stephen Onyeka Omatu, Casmir Nnabuike Omatu, and Collins Kenechukwu Omatu, the three young brothers whose lives were cruelly cut short in the Great Nigeria Insurance building fire in Lagos, Nigeria.

It is almost impossible to describe the depth of this tragedy. For days, these young men sent distressing pleas for help while trapped in the building, yet there were no emergency services to rescue them. Several days passed in the rubble before their bodies were finally recovered. Several days of unanswered calls, of a system that failed them at the moment they needed it most.

This is not just a personal loss for their family, it is a national loss. This tragedy should serve as a reminder that our emergency services must be improved and accessible to every citizen. We cannot continue like this. Every life matters, and no Nigerian should ever have to endure such neglect or be left to perish in such a gruesome way, while help could have been provided.

I pray that the souls of Steve, Casmir, and Collins find eternal rest, and that God grants their family the courage, strength, and comfort to bear this unimaginable grief. May we never forget them, and may we be moved to ensure such a tragedy never happens again”

The Lagos State Government, according to Punch newspaper publication on January 2, 2026, “has warned against the spread of speculation that may heighten public anxiety over the fire incident that occurred at the 25-storey Great Nigeria Insurance House on Martins Street, Lagos Island, on Christmas Eve.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said in a statement on Thursday (January 1, 2026) that the government had taken note of some speculations and assertions concerning the incident. Omotoso conveyed the government’s sympathy to those who lost their loved ones in the incident, saying, “We feel their pain and understand their anxiety.”

He reiterated that as soon as the fire alarm was received on the day, the government deployed teams of first responders to the scene, including the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Lagos State Ambulance Services, security agencies, and other emergency and safety units.

Omotoso said the teams had also remained on site, conducting systematic search, rescue, and safety operations in line with internationally accepted emergency response protocols. “They will remain there and continue to work until the completion of recovery operations, supported by thorough and forensic assessments,” he said.

Giving an update on the incident, Omotoso said, “As of this morning, the total number of victims is eight males (including a fireman) rescued with varying degrees of injury and taken to the hospital.

“Three males and two females who sustained minor injuries were administered first aid and thereafter released at the scene. One adult female was extricated dead from the rubble; two adult males were extricated, and three persons were burnt.”

The government appealed to the public, affected families, and all stakeholders to exercise patience, restraint, and sensitivity, and to refrain from spreading speculation that could heighten public anxiety or undermine ongoing operations”

In addition to the numbers of death, the National Emergency Management Agency of NIgeria, NEMA on January 11, 2026, said it recovered four more burnt bodies from the scene of the fire incident. Accordingly, NEMA said; “The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has facilitated the deployment of heavy-duty equipment by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) to support ongoing recovery operations at the site of the Great Nigeria Insurance Building on Martins Street, Lagos Island, which was gutted by fire on 24th December, 2025.

The multi-agency rescue and recovery operation remains complex due to the precarious structural condition of the 23-storey building. However, significant progress has been recorded with the controlled removal of debris and the recovery of four bodies from beneath the rubble.

NEMA is providing technical and operational support to ensure safety at the site while facilitating the deployment of CCECC equipment for controlled excavation and debris clearance.

The excavation and debris removal operations are being carried out under the close supervision of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), and other relevant response stakeholders.

Four burnt bodies were recovered from the rubble, properly documented, and handed over to the Lagos State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SHEMU) for onward transfer for forensic identification and dignified handling.

The incident perimeter remains fully secured by the military, police, and other supporting security agencies, with barricades in place to restrict unauthorised access and ensure the safety of emergency personnel and the public.

Meanwhile, a strategic coordination meeting was held involving NEMA Lagos Operations Office and key stakeholders, including the Honourable Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Lagos State, Mr. Gbenga Oyerinde; the Special Adviser to the Governor on Arc GIS and Urban Development, Dr. Olajide Babatunde; and the Chairman of the Community Development Association (CDA). The meeting focused on detailed planning of ongoing operations, including a phased approach to safe excavation, structural integrity assessment, controlled demolition, and eventual site rehabilitation. All activities at the site remain under the authority of LASEMA and the Lagos State Government, with NEMA providing technical and operational support”.

Meanwhile, a Catholic Priest, Father A James in a tweet on X social media platform on January 6, 2026 talked about the Omatu family and stated in quotes that; “They were seven orphans in one family: two girls and five boys. One of them is a priest, Father William Omatu. Three of their brothers were trapped in the Great Nigeria House Market fire on Lagos Island and died there on Christmas Eve, 24th December 2025.

They did not die because it was inevitable. They died because, in Nigeria, life has become cheap. Because those meant to protect lives and property did not. Because no one came in time. Because, somehow, nobody cared enough. How does a family bury three promising sons on the same day? How do you explain such pain? This is not just sad; it is devastating. It breaks the heart.

What hurts even more is knowing that their brother, a priest and my friend here in Scotland, the remaining siblings, will live the rest of their life and ministry carrying this memory, the knowledge of how their brothers died, and how helpless everyone was.

May Nigeria not happen to any of us, in Jesus’ name. I pray that the Lord grants this family the fortitude to carry a grief this heavy. May the souls of Stephen, Casmir and Collins rest in peace. Amen”.

On January 9, 2026, Father A James also tweeted and said; “I just came off a call with Father William Omatu, the brother of the three siblings that lost their lives in the Lagos Market fire, and he told me they could not recover the bodies of his brothers. They were left only with ashes. In fact, he showed me the ashes he had just collected from the site. This is painful and heartbreaking.

He told me that about 100 people died in that building. What a tragedy. I cannot imagine what it feels like for him and his remaining siblings at this time, but I pray that God will see them through. Amen. Please keep them in your prayers as they travel for the burial”.