•Mourners with the burial poster of the deceased
The remains of three siblings killed in a fire at the Great Nigeria Insurance House on Martins Street, Lagos Island, on December 24, 2025, were laid to rest amid tears in Uzoakwa community, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, yesterday.
The siblings — Mr Steve Onyeka Omatu (40), Mr Casmir Nnabuike Omatu (39), and Mr Collins Kenechukwu Omatu (37)—all from the Omatu family of Uzoakwa Community, were buried in the presence of family members, relatives, and other mourners, reports The PUNCH.
They 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.
A service of songs and Requiem Mass had earlier been held at Jesus the Saviour Catholic Church, Ejigbo, Lagos, on January 7.
Some dignitaries in attendance at the burial ceremony in Ihiala included a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress and former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, the lawmaker representing Ihiala Federal Constituency, Pascal Agbodike, and other mourners from the area.
Obi, in his condolence message, prayed for God to grant the departed souls eternal rest.
He said, “We have no power to question God Almighty. He is the one who gives and takes.
“I am here in person to console you all, particularly the young widows and your children. It is very painful to lose such energetic and promising young men at this time.
“It’s painful. My prayer is for God Almighty to grant them eternal rest in His kingdom, and also give the family the fortitude to bear the loss.”
Obi appealed to the people of the state to remember the mourning family in their personal prayers.
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.
With heavy hearts, relatives described the loss as an unimaginable nightmare and the greatest shock of their lives.
It was earlier 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.
Giving an update, a sister of the deceased, Mimi Nonyerem, said a service of songs was held on January 7, while the burial took place on January 14.
