Fear gripped many yesterday Tuesday at Lagos Island after a massive fire outbreak hit the Afriland Building on Broad Street, leaving many workers trapped inside the high-rise.
In a video that long went viral, some of the workers were seen desperately trying to escape through windows, with others leaping down from the storey building as thick smoke spread through the UBA bank housed in the building.
The building located in Marina, a Central Business District of Lagos, houses a branch of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) office, among other businesses.
The cause of the fire remains unclear as at press time, but eyewitnesses said the blaze started suddenly, sending customers and employees into a frenzy.
Emergency responders had not issued any official statement when this report was filed, but efforts to put out the fire were ongoing.
The dramatic footage has sparked outrage online, with many questioning the level of safety measures in Nigerian banks and why staff had no proper fire evacuation plan.
