OKECHUKWU OBETA, who covered the burial of three brothers who were consumed by the fire that ravaged the Great Nigeria Insurance House in Lagos, reports that tears flowed from sympathisers and relations as the remains of the three victims were buried in Anambra a few days ago
The atmosphere in Nze Omatu Ikwuamaeze family house in Uzoakwa village, Ihiala local government area of Anambra state, on Wednesday, 14 January 2026, was, indeed, pathetic as hundreds of mourners gathered to bid farewell to three brothers of the family who lost their lives in the 24 December 2025 fire disaster that ravaged the Great Nigeria Insurance House in Lagos.
The mood among those who thronged into the sprawling family compound in their hundreds, most of whom dressed in black attire, was, indeed, that of deep sorrow and heavy heart.
Some even wailed, bore swollen eyes with tears flowing down their cheeks like running taps as the three caskets bearing the remains of the three brothers were placed in the family compound for the requiem Mass.
Mourners became more grieved and emotional when the eldest son of the family, a priest of the Catholic Church, Minna Diocese, Niger state, Rev. Fr. William Ugonna Omatu, narrated the tragic story of the demise of his three brothers in the 25-storey building, Great Nigeria Insurance House fire disaster.
The deceased brothers were Steve, aged 40, Casmir, aged 39, and Collins, a twin, aged 37. He said that it was possible that his three brothers and even other victims might have been saved if the Lagos state government had intervened early to save the situation. The Catholic clergy insisted that the Lagos State government, particularly the state government’s fire service, did not intervene when the inferno engulfed the Great Nigeria Insurance House. So, he called for a thorough probe into the fire disaster, describing it as a “national tragedy”.
He notably dismissed the superstition rumoured among some traditional worshippers in the town that it was a “curse” that claimed his three brothers.
It was gathered that it was firmly believed by some traditional worshippers that their late father, Polycarp Omatu, a Knight of St John International, refused to make a sacrifice to a deity in the community, so they believe that the deity, popularly known as “Ogwugwu”, caused the untimely death of the three sons as revenge.
But, Rev. Fr. Williams dismissed the insinuation with a wave of the hand, saying that the superstition “does not hold any water”, arguing, “My three brothers were not the only ones who died; there were others who died”. He narrated the sad story of the death of his three brothers in an interview, saying, “It (the death of his three brothers) is a national tragedy. It is so unfortunate that the world is not aware of what happened to my three brothers, and not only my three brothers, but many other souls perished in the Great Nigeria Insurance House on the 24th of December, 2025.
“I want the media to find out what happened. It is said that injustice done to one is to all. How must souls be there languishing on 24 December, and the Lagos state government could not provide fire service to rescue Nigerians who were there? It was too unfortunate. And it is my wish that this will never happen to anyone again.”
The clergy argued that the fire raged with the trapped victims for more than one week, from 24 December to 31 December, and the Lagos state government could not do anything to rescue the victims. “What kind of government do we have?” he asked. The clergy continued, “Let the whole world know what is going on in Ihiala, Anambra state, those three brothers: Steve, Casmir, and Collins Omatu – they were my younger brothers, they were victims of what happened on 24 December 2025.
“I am speaking for others who also lost their lives because nobody is speaking for them; I am a priest, and, by virtue of my ordination, I am bound to speak on justice for those who cannot speak for themselves. So, I want the media to find out what happened there. Let there be research, let there be a documentary on what happened on 24 December 2025. It shouldn’t be swept under the carpet”, Rev. Fr. Omatu advised.
An uncle to the deceased three brothers, who said that he was an eyewitness to the Great Nigeria Insurance House fire disaster, Chief Basil Bobity Ndedigwe alleged that it was the Lagos state government’s nonchalant disposition toward the fire disaster that made it impossible for some of the victims to be rescued.
He said that immediately after the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, visited the fire disaster site, government agents cordoned off the area.
Narrating the story of the fire incident in an interview on the sidelines, shortly after the three brothers were interred, Ndedigwe said, “I was there live. The most important thing that got me annoyed is that when the Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, arrived, they did not allow us to go there to explain certain things.
“And the announcement is what baffled me most. He (Gov. Sanwo-Olu) said there were no casualties. And after two days, when they were bringing out some corpses, they (agents of the government) refused that the corpse be videoed.
“They said, ‘If you video it (the corpses), what will you say when the governor has said that there was no casualty?’ So, if you are carrying it and the police stop you and ask you where you are carrying the corpse from, where will you say you are holding the corpse from?”
He expressed grave regret that when he was eventually allowed entry into the scene of the fire disaster, even the skeletons of his three nephews had turned into ashes. So, all he could do was to take the ashes for burial at home. He said that the government agents only allowed him access to the burnt building more than a week after.
Emotions deepened in the mourners at the sight of the children and widows of the deceased when they were being helped to the graveside to perform the burial rites of throwing sand into the grave. Their sights, indeed, provoked heavy hearts as many mourners wailed and rained curses on whosoever had a hand in the circumstance that caused the lives of the three brothers.
Steve left behind a widow and three children: first, two daughters, Ifunanya, aged 7, and Chukwunonyerem, aged 5, and the last child, a boy, Somtochukwu, aged 1. Casmir, according to one of their uncles, who also said that he lived in Lagos with the deceased’s three brothers, left a pregnant widow. Their third brother, Collins, a twin, has not been married. According to tradition, his twin brother, Ugochukwu, was absent from the burial ceremony. He was not allowed to see the remains of his twin, even as his casket was being lowered into the grave. Their parents, Sir Polycarp Omatu and his wife, Lady Juliana, have also already joined their ancestors some years ago. With the demise of their three children, those left in the family are the priest, Rev. Fr. William Omatu, who is, incidentally, the first male child, but second child, after Adaora (first child), Ujunwa (third child), and Ugochukwu, the last child. Adaora and Ujunwa are already married. So, Fr. William and Ugochukwu are left to care for the two widows and children of their deceased brothers.
However, a former Anambra State governor, Mr Peter Obi, who visited the bereaved family, consoled them and promised to maintain a close relationship with them. He told them that he shared in their pain over the tragic demise of their family members. The Chairman of Ihiala local government, Hon. Anayochukwu Ojiakor, said that he was mandated by the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to represent him at the funeral. He promised that his local government would do everything within its power to support the bereaved family of the three deceased brothers.
But as far as Fr. William and the homilist during the requiem Mass, spiritual director of Upper Room Ministry, Enugu, Rev. Fr. Anthony Nnaji, are concerned, “God does not abandon orphans”. They expressed strong faith that God will always cater for the widows and orphans. For instance, Fr. William, referencing the Bible passage, said, “In Job chapter 19:25, Job said ‘I know that my redeemer liveth’. And in Romans 8:37, it is said ‘in all these things we are more than conquerors’”. “What we have today is by the grace of God. The sustenance of the two widows, children, and my siblings is in the hands of God,” Fr. William said. Fr. Nnaji was emphatic that God knew about the tragedy that befell the three brothers. He particularly cautioned those making negative comments about their death to desist, warning that such statements could be a reason for such people to be condemned to hellfire on their last day. “God does not tell anyone when He will come for him or how He will come for him,” Fr. Nnaji admonished.
Similarly, the president of the Ihiala indigenous priests and religious, Rev. Fr. Desmond Ebulue, a Redemptorist priest, dismissed the superstition being alluded to as the cause of the tragic death of the three brothers. He said that though their death was a tragedy, as Christians, they were not subject to any deity. The Vicar-General of the Minna Diocese, Rev. Fr. Tadeus Umaru, represented the Bishop at the requiem Mass attended by 47 Catholic priests and over 20 Reverend Sisters.
Chinedu said that he got the worst beating of his life from soldiers and police personnel when he attempted to go to the scene of the fire disaster to see if he could rescue his three trapped nephews. Chibuzo Mbachi, a trader at the Balogun Market, dealing in ladies’ wear and T-shirts, said that he lost goods worth over N70 million to vandals who invaded the market. He lamented that, even though security agencies and other agents of the Lagos state government prevented them from entering the market to retrieve their goods, the thieves still carted them away.
“I want to plead with the Lagos state government to come to our help. In such a market, we are supposed to have a functional fire service station. I lost between N70 million and N78 million. I deal in ladies’ wear and T-shirts. As we were running away, because security people were chasing us away, thieves were carting away our goods,” Mbachi lamented.
The Nigeria Immigration Service has released an updated step-by-step guide for Nigerians living abroad to renew their passports through its Contactless Passport Application System.
The Service announced the update in a post on its official X handle on Tuesday, encouraging Nigerians in the diaspora to take advantage of the digital platform.
According to the Service, the application process involves the following steps:
1. Visit the official NIS Passport Application portal. 2. Select Continue from the pop-up window. 3. Click Apply for Renewal/Re-issue. 4. Create an account and verify your identity using your National Identification Number and date of birth. 5. Complete the application form and choose your preferred processing embassy or high commission. 6. Upload the required documents. 7. Pay the passport fee for your selected booklet. 8. Obtain your Application ID and Reference Number. 9. Select the Contactless option under the Application Status/Book Appointment section. 10. Review the contactless instructions and click “I Understand and Opt In.” 11. Download the NIS Mobile App. 12. Log in or create a profile on the app. 13. Select Passport Application Services. 14. Click Passport Biometrics Enrolment, enter your Application ID and Reference Number, and check your eligibility. 15. Capture your facial image and fingerprints. 16. Complete the liveness verification. 17. Pay the contactless service fee. 18. Submit your biometrics.
The Service, however, noted that not all applicants would qualify for the contactless process.
“If response is INELIGIBLE, then it means applicant should return to the landing page of the portal to book physical appointment at the Embassy/High Commission,” it stated.
For applicants who successfully complete the contactless biometric enrolment, the NIS said additional documents must be forwarded to the selected processing mission.
“Upon successful completion of biometrics via Contactless App, applicant should print-out the Application form, passport booklet payment, biometric payment, current Passport and enclose all in a self-addressed return envelope to the processing embassy selected during the application process,” the Service said.
It added that applicants would be able to monitor the progress of their applications after submission.
“Applicant may track successful application two weeks after submission via https://track.immigration.gov.ng or on the NIS Mobile App,” the Service added.
A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has called for a judicial inquiry into the controversy surrounding the alleged fake Presidential Fiscal and Infrastructure Projects Council (PFIPC), arguing that the scandal points to deep institutional failures rather than a simple administrative error.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, Lawal said the circumstances surrounding the alleged agency suggested the existence of a wider network that enabled it to function within government processes despite questions over its legal status.
He insisted that an administrative investigation alone would be insufficient. “I don’t think it should even be administrative alone; it should be a judicial inquiry”, the former SGF clearly stated.
Lawal questioned claims surrounding an alleged ₦27.5bn take-off grant reportedly linked to the agency, asking how such funds could have been approved and released if the organisation had no legal basis.
“Nigerians are talking about how N1.3bn was inserted into the budget. The man himself first said the quarrel came about because he refused to part with 48% of the 27-point-something billion Naira take-off grant. That money has been spent before this budget office was looking for the budget.
“Who gave him the money? It was not appropriated for; it’s not in any budget, that N27.5bn Naira for which he says somebody demanded 48%. Who gave him the money? How did the process of generating the request for the release come up? How did it go through?
“We are just talking about the tip of the iceberg here. Down there, before we got to here, N27.5bn had already been disbursed, according to him, as a take-off grant. How did that money get to him? It was not in the budget. So this is what should frighten us. If such money can go to a fictitious organisation, we only now begin to see it when we are quarrelling about how it got into the budget. How did that money get to them?”, Babachir queried.
The former SGF argued that the controversy only became public because of disagreements over the sharing of funds rather than because government oversight mechanisms functioned effectively.
He continued,… “So you see, that’s how we got to know this to start with. That is the reason why we got to know this on his side of the coin. It’s about the sharing of the N27.5bn. That’s why the thing came up. So it didn’t work. It should have worked before that money left the government coffers into the account of the agency.”
Lawal also alleged that the scandal reflected broader institutional weaknesses within the current administration, arguing that the Office of the SGF should have detected any irregularities before the matter progressed through official channels.
He maintained that the SGF’s office bears responsibility for identifying and flagging agencies without legal backing before their requests or budgets proceed through government.
He said, “It’s institutional compromise, because in this, I sense there’s quite a big racket going on somewhere along the line. If the agency was created by maybe one big man alone, and then he wants to go through the budget process, the budget office assigns the budget code according to the chart of accounts in GIFMIS. So, how did they manage to assign the budget code for this agency that does not exist? Who inserted it?
“Because first of all, the budget office issues a budget call circular to MDAs, and everybody starts to prepare his budget according to the budget line. They give you ceilings, and you prepare your budget and forward it to the budget office as an agency or ministry. Now, the Ministry of Budget and Planning would, in our time, call every MDA to come and defend its budget. Now, if you don’t exist, how did they recognise that you are a genuine entity? Who gave out the budget code and allowed their budget to pass?
“That’s what oversight is. The SGF should be able to know, because before it gets to the National Assembly, that budget goes through the SGF. Unless there’s a dereliction of duty by the SGF’s office, the responsibility to flag that this is a fake agency would have come from them.”
Lawal further criticised the National Assembly, accusing lawmakers of failing to thoroughly scrutinise budget proposals.
“It is a legislative oversight. This government—this National Assembly—has no interest in scrutinising the budget that comes before them. Most of the legislators just go in there to earn their salaries and collect allowances and go. They don’t scrutinise the budget line by line. We all know how this particular government works. There are some people that when they talk, nobody else has the authority to contravene.”
He also suggested that public attention should focus not only on the agency’s legal status but on the individuals who allegedly enabled its operations.
“Why are you interested in N27.5bn that had already been collected and spent? We are talking about an agency that we are claiming doesn’t exist. Maybe it exists, but it doesn’t have a legal framework for its existence. But it exists. And there are a lot of powerful people that make sure it exists in that form.
“Those are the people we need to expose. The Chief of Staff, in particular, is so powerful. The SGF is there, just reneging on his responsibilities. And nothing has happened now”, he concluded.
Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, ha threatened to initiate legal steps against Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, and demand N10 billion in damages over allegations linking him to murder, bribery and other criminal activities.
The move was conveyed in a letter dated July 6, 2026, signed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kemi Pinheiro, on behalf of Pinheiro LP, the Chief of Staff’s legal representatives.
The dispute stems from a press conference held by Adeyemi on June 25, during which he accused Gbajabiamila of seeking a share of the alleged take-off funds of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), receiving money through intermediaries, abusing his office and participating in efforts to conceal wrongdoing.Death & Tragedy
During the briefing, Adeyemi also referred to the Chief of Staff as “a murderer” and “an assassin”.
The Presidency has consistently maintained that the PFIPC is a fictitious organisation, despite its appearance in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
Gbajabiamila’s lawyers dismissed all the allegations as entirely false and defamatory, saying they were intended to damage his reputation.
The letter stated: “not only false but gravely defamatory,” adding that the allegations were “designed to portray our client as corrupt, dishonest, criminally culpable, morally bankrupt, administratively incompetent, a murderer and unfit to occupy public office.”
According to the legal team, Adeyemi is already standing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja in Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/652/2026, FRN v. Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew & Ors, over allegations including forgery of an appointment letter bearing Gbajabiamila’s purported signature and the alleged counterfeiting of Presidential letter-headed papers to present himself as a government official.Nigeria Investment Guide
The lawyers further rejected Adeyemi’s claims that Gbajabiamila demanded 48 per cent of a purported N27.4 billion take-off grant for the council, amounting to about N12.5 billion, or that he received N400 million through proxies connected to appointments within the organisation.
Other allegations dismissed in the letter included claims that the Chief of Staff intimidated individuals and media organisations, manipulated budget processes, attempted to misuse security agencies and performed official duties while under the influence of intoxicating substances.Trending News Feed
Gbajabiamila also denied ever having any relationship with Adeyemi.
“You have never at any time met, interacted with, communicated with, or had any form of personal or official dealing whatsoever with him,” the lawyers wrote, adding that the decision to “fabricate and publish allegations against a person with whom you have had absolutely no relationship or interaction underscores the reckless, baseless and malicious nature of your publication.”
The legal team also criticised the timing of the allegations, noting that they were made after criminal proceedings had already been instituted against Adeyemi.
“It is even more disturbing to our client that you resorted to defaming him through your press statements after a criminal Charge had been filed against you,” the letter stated.
It added, “Trial by media remains unknown to Nigerian law and cannot be a substitute for due process.”Nigeria Investment Guide
Gbajabiamila’s lawyers demanded that Adeyemi immediately stop making further defamatory statements, remove all related videos, recordings and transcripts from every platform, issue a full retraction and apology in at least five national newspapers and across all social media platforms used to circulate the claims, and provide a written undertaking that he would refrain from making further allegations.
The letter warned that failure to comply would result in both criminal defamation proceedings under the laws of the Federal Capital Territory and a civil lawsuit seeking N10 billion in aggravated and exemplary damages. The damages, it said, would be donated to a charity chosen by Gbajabiamila. The legal action would also seek a perpetual injunction and a court order compelling the publication of an apology.
The controversy centres on the PFIPC, which was listed in the 2026 Appropriation Act under the title Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and received more than N1.3 billion in budgetary allocations, including about N803 million for personnel, N200 million for overhead and N300 million for capital expenditure.
Adeyemi had argued during his June 25 press conference that an agency included in a budget signed by the President could not be regarded as non-existent.
However, the Presidency insists the council is fraudulent and has no legal existence.
Meanwhile, human rights lawyer Femi Falana has argued that the Presidency lacks the constitutional authority to clear anyone involved in the dispute and has called for an independent investigation into the allegations against both Gbajabiamila and Adeyemi.
Adeyemi is scheduled to appear before the Federal High Court on July 27, 2026.
