The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, has walked back an earlier advisory suggesting a fire outbreak at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos, confirming that no fire actually occurred at Terminal 2 on Sunday.
In a fresh statement issued by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, the authority clarified that what was initially reported as a blaze was in fact the accidental discharge of the terminal’s fire suppression system.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal,” Agbebire said. “The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated.”
Earlier on Sunday, FAAN had raised concern in a statement on its official X account, informing the public that a fire incident had broken out at Terminal 2 and that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service, ARFFS, had been deployed to contain the situation.
“The FAAN Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service, ARFFS, is currently responding to the incident and working diligently to contain the situation,” the initial statement read, with the authority further assuring the public that there were no casualties or loss of life.
However, subsequent checks by responders on the ground revealed that the thick smoke witnessed by passengers and airport workers had been triggered by the FM-200 gaseous fire suppression system — a clean-agent system commonly installed in airport terminals, data centres and other sensitive facilities to smother potential fires without water damage — rather than by an actual fire.
FAAN confirmed that flight and terminal operations at MMIA have since returned to normal, with passengers processing through Terminal 2 without further disruption.
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“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” Agbebire stated.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines and other stakeholders for their patience, reaffirming its commitment to the safety and security of airport operations.
The Murtala Muhammed International Airport, named after Nigeria’s former military head of state General Murtala Muhammed, is the country’s busiest and most strategically important aviation hub, handling the bulk of international traffic in and out of West Africa’s largest economy. Terminal 2, operated under a concession arrangement with Bi-Courtney Aviation Services, primarily serves domestic flights and has been at the centre of several operational and safety debates in recent years.
Sunday’s scare comes at a time when Nigerian aviation authorities have been under pressure to upgrade emergency preparedness and infrastructure across the nation’s airports. Fire safety in particular has drawn scrutiny following past incidents at Nigerian terminals — including a 2015 fire at the domestic wing of MMIA — that exposed gaps in fire detection and response protocols.
The swift activation of the FM-200 suppression system, though ultimately unnecessary in this case, is being viewed by some aviation observers as evidence that safety infrastructure at Terminal 2 is functional, even as FAAN works to establish why the system triggered in the absence of an actual fire.
FAAN has said a detailed investigation is underway to determine what set off the suppression system, and pledged to release further updates as findings become available. Aviation analysts note that unexplained activations of clean-agent systems can point to sensor faults, electrical anomalies, or maintenance lapses — all of which typically warrant a full technical audit before the system is recharged and returned to service.
Crediblenewsng.com
