Panic at Lagos airport over electrical short circuit incident

There was panic at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) Lagos on Thursday over a cable short circuit incident which occurred at the E Wing of the old terminal, resulting in an electrical spark.

The spark originated from the ceiling of the E arrival hall.

In response to the incident and to prevent any further escalation, the power supply to that section of the airport was immediately switched off.

Obiageli Orah, Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN) who confirmed the incident said the
engineering department promptly mobilized to identify the source of the spark, and the suspected cable was swiftly cut to stop the power flow.

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Orah said the incident lasted for only a few minutes, and normalcy was restored, adding that airport operations were never disrupted.

This comes barely 24 hours after a temporary fire outbreak at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos State on Thursday.

According to eyewitnesses, the incident caused panic among workers and passengers at the airport as travelers hastily left the place which was engulfed by smoke for the departure hall.

However, normal operations resumed at the terminal as firefighters promptly put out the fire.

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.