MMIA Fire: Keyamo Orders Integrity Audit as Operations Stabilize

​LAGOS – Following a significant fire outbreak at Terminal 1 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) on Monday afternoon, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has ordered a comprehensive structural integrity audit of the 47-year-old facility.

​The Minister, who arrived in Lagos for an emergency site inspection at midnight, joined the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, and her management team to coordinate the final phases of the emergency response.

​Dramatic Rescue and Response

​The fire, which reportedly originated in a server room on the first floor around 3:45 PM, led to a temporary shutdown of the Lagos airspace. In a high-stakes operation, emergency responders used cranes to evacuate 14 persons, including air traffic controllers, who were trapped in the control tower as thick smoke billowed through the building.

​While no fatalities were recorded, FAAN confirmed that six individuals sustained injuries. They are currently in stable condition, with one victim receiving specialized care at the FAAN Headquarters Hospital.

​Minister’s Midnight Directive

​Speaking at the terminal during his midnight visit, Minister Keyamo praised the “swift activation of emergency protocols” by FAAN personnel and the Lagos State Fire Service.

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​”Their prompt and coordinated actions were instrumental in safeguarding lives and limiting the impact of the incident on this critical national asset,” the Minister noted.

​To prevent any reignition, Keyamo directed a joint team of airport and state firefighters to maintain an all-night vigil. He is scheduled to lead a detailed “dawn tour” of the facility today to assess the total extent of the damage and issue further directives on the terminal’s multi-billion naira renovation project.

​Operational Impact

​The incident caused significant disruptions, forcing the diversion of major international flights—including British Airways to Abuja, and Emirates and Lufthansa to Malabo. However, the airspace was reopened by 7:30 PM on Monday, with Ethiopian Airlines being the first to resume departures.

​FAAN has since established a temporary departure hall and deployed a remote control tower to ensure flight operations continue with minimal downtime while investigations into the cause of the blaze—suspected to be an electrical fault—continue.