The Nigerian Army has disclosed that the country recorded over 2,056 cases of fire incidents with a loss of over N1 trillion of properties in 2022.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, made the disclosure during a fire prevention and management sensitisation seminar held at the Headquarters, 1 Division Nigerian Army, Kaduna, yesterday.
The GOC, represented by Brig.-Gen. Ogochukwu Ugeleka, said available data indicated that domestic fire accounted for over 41 per cent of the total number of fire incidents in neighbouring Ghana.
He explained that the seminar was part of yearly calendar of the Army to engage barracks communities on fire prevention.
According to him, there has been increasing cases of fire due to population growth, unstable electricity, negligence and illegal electrical connections, among others. Lagbaja said the Nigerian Army was not left out of fire incidents, which had damaged its property and endangered the lives of personnel and their families in barracks and cantonments.
The GOC further said that fire incidents had also led to loss of critical operational assets, thereby affecting the morale of troops and their operational efficiency.
He, therefore, said it was imperative to sustain sensitisation on fire prevention and management in all military barracks.
