- A Catholic priest has mourned three orphaned brothers who died in the Great Nigeria House Market fire on Christmas Eve 2025.
- He blamed their deaths on the absence of timely rescue and said the tragedy reflects how cheaply life is valued in Nigeria.
A Catholic priest has expressed deep sorrow following the tragic death of three orphaned brothers who lost their lives in the Great Nigeria House Market fire on Lagos Island.
The cleric, identified on X as @Fr. James A, shared photos of the deceased and lamented that their deaths were not inevitable but the result of a lack of timely rescue during the blaze, which occurred on Christmas Eve in late December 2025.
In his post, the Reverend father explained that the victims were part of a family of seven orphaned siblings—two girls and five boys. One of the brothers, Father William Omatu, is a Catholic priest and a close friend of his in Scotland.
According to him, the three brothers were trapped during the fire and died before any help could reach them.
He wrote:
“They were seven orphans in one family: two girlss and five boys. One of them is a priest, Fr. William Omatu. Three of their brothers were trapped in the Great Nigeria House Market fire on Lagos Island and died there on Christmas Eve, 24th December 2025.
They did not die because it was inevitable. They died because, in Nigeria, life has become cheap. Because those meant to protect lives and property did not. Because no one came in time. Because, somehow, nobody cared enough.
How does a family bury three promising sons on the same day? How do you explain such pain? This is not just sad; it is devastating. It breaks the heart. What hurts even more is knowing that their brother, a priest and my friend here in Scotland, the remaining siblings, will live the rest of their life and ministry carrying this memory, the knowledge of how their brothers died, and how helpless everyone was.
May Nigeria not happen to any of us, in Jesus’ name. I pray that the Lord grants this family the fortitude to carry a grief this heavy. May the souls of Stephen, Casmir and Collins rest in peace. Amen.”
The post has since triggered emotional reactions online, with many Nigerians expressing grief, anger, and frustration over emergency response failures and the value placed on human life.
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