MMIA fire halts operations, passengers stranded

Passengers at the Muritala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) on Wednesday were unable to proceed with their travel plans as a result of a fire incident that occurred on Wednesday morning, which has been successfully extinguished.

Passengers however were unable to get processed, causing considerable dissatisfaction among them.

A statement by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) signed by Abdullahi Yakubu-Funtua Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, FAAN, stated that at approximately 0750 hours on Wednesday morning, a smoke incident was reported at Terminal 1 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, located in Ikeja, Lagos.

According to Yakubu-Funtua, the source of the smoke was identified as originating from the basement of the Terminal building.

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He stated that promptly responding to the situation, the firefighters from the Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Fighting Services (ARFFS) of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport initiated immediate action.

“Their swift response and professional efforts have successfully brought the situation under control,” he said.

The terminal building was evacuated due to the smoke that had permeated some areas of the facility. This according to him, was done to protect lives and properties.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.