Last Words of Businessman Who Was Trapped Inside Lagos Great Nigeria Building Breaks Hearts
- A devastating fire ravaged the 25-storey Great Nigeria Insurance House plaza at Balogun Market, Lagos Island, last week, causing part of the building to collapse and trap traders inside
- One of the victims, Nze Obum, a China-based cloth merchant, was reportedly confirmed dead after being trapped beneath the rubble
- His heartbreaking final phone calls pleading for help were made from under the debris and the audio shattered the hearts of many netizens
Tragedy struck at Lagos Island's Balogun Market last week when a fire ravaged the 25-storey Great Nigeria Insurance House plaza, causing part of it to collapse.
The inferno, which began on the fourth floor, spread so fast, trapping traders inside.
Source: Instagram
Final audio of trader who died in fire accident
A heartbreaking audio of one victim, Nze Obum, emerged online where he made desperate calls for help from under the debris.
Obum, a cloth merchant based in China, had reportedly returned to Nigeria for Christmas to support his wife, who had recently given birth, and sell goods at the market.
The collapse happened as Obum was retrieving remaining stock from his shop behind the plaza.
A trader Zacheaus Afolayan reportedly confirmed Obum's death, saying his body was released to the family and taken to Anambra State for burial, Linda Ikeji reports.
Afolayan recounted Obum phoned him around 2 a.m. Thursday, trapped and pleading not to be abandoned to die, citing his children’s age. A second, weaker call came later that day.
Obum, visiting Nigeria only during holidays to trade, was helping his wife make sales when disaster struck.
Emergency responders recovered two bodies on Friday, identifying one as Obum.
The fire spread to higher floors and nearby structures, intensifying the chaos.
Source: UGC
The tragedy has left questions over response times, as Obum’s trapped calls hinted at a desperate struggle for survival.
Reactions trail trader's last voice note
Nigerians had different things to say in the comments section.
Elora_ritz said:
"I wish he saved his life and not his goods."
Onyii_pearl_ said:
"Whilst breathing his last he thought about his wife and children. This is traumatizing."
Mercyslife_ said:
"I really wished he left those goods."
Jorepresenter said:
"This is heart breaking and part of the reason why I echo the importance of improvement. For him to be able to make that call he would have been traced and saved at least. The cost of ordinary citizen life seems to be cheap in Nigeria than other part have visited."
Adolnedu said:
"My heart bleeds listening to the voice crying strongly crying out for help. What kind of leaders allow their citizens to perish like chickens? Please, we are not asking for much just give us some basic amenities. If the firefighters had gone there on time, people would have been rescued."
Innoson101 said:
"He didn’t want to come to market but the wife persuaded him to, he refused but the wife said the sells girls would steal from him so he decided to come."
Bubbing22 reacted:
"People should never have been allowed back in the building or buildings around it."
Firstladyxxo said:
"The fact that he was able to make a call twice shows if he was Una. Developed country they could have saved him but of course no be Nigeria human life is not valuable so painful man."
Wallystouch said:
"We have a very looooooong way to go in this country. When we start to value human life, then we would be on the right path. Not all death is God's will, it's our own lack of humanity and conscience."
Olaakinjofx added:
"RIP brother. It's a lesson to us out there not to value material things over our lives. He shouldn't have gone into that building to save his goods. In the process he wasn't able to save his goods and at the same time lost his precious life. Sad."
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Source: Legit.ng
