The Nation Newspaper

Tag: fire

  • Millions gone as fire razes 100 shops in Akure

    Property and goods estimated at millions of naira were destroyed yesterday when a fire razed a section of Akure South Local Government secretariat, beside Deji’s palace in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

    It was learnt that over 100 lock-up shops were destroyed.

    Sources said the fire started from one of the shops around 1 a.m and spread to other shops.

    A victim, Ojo Owoeye, said he received a distress call around 1 a.m that shops were burning and he immediately rushed to the scene.

    Owoeye said he lost over N2.5 million to the fire, which he said was caused by power surge.

    A youth leader in Akure community, Tuyi Adekambi said: “The inferno started around 1 a.m as a result of power surge. The most annoying thing is that if we had functioning fire service in the state, the inferno wouldn’t have got to this extent.

    “For almost three hours, the fire service couldn’t get to the scene of the fire. It was the services of airport authority fire brigade service that rescued the situation or the fire would have got to the Deji’s place.

    “Government should be in a position to purchase vehicles for the fire service for each senatorial district.

    “My advice to the state government is that it should not come here and make empty promises to the affected shop owners. Government should buy fire service vehicles for each senatorial district and fuel them always, in case of any inferno in any part of the state.”

    The fire was said to have been curtailed by men of the airport authority fire brigade service.

    It was gathered that computer accessories and provision stores were destroyed.

    The President of Association of Office Documents and Computers in Akure, Mrs Elizabeth Orogun, told reporters that the fire was unfortunate.

    The businesswoman urged the state government to assist the victims.

    She said: “Over 100 shops were destroyed. Computers, generators, photocopying machines, cameras, clothes, among other items, were destroyed in the fire.”

    Mrs Orogun regretted that the shop owners could not salvage anything from the rubbles.

    She said: “No one could tell where the fire started from. We learnt that there was power supply around 12:30 a.m and, probably a resultant high voltage triggered the fire.

    “When people around here raised the alarm to the fire service, they said they did not have fuel in their vehicle.

    “Government should please come to our aid because of our numerous responsibilities as bread owners in our families. All our possessions have been destroyed by the fire.”

  • Update: Fire scare at CBN headquarters

    …No fire incident at CBN Head Office, says Spokesman

    When The Nation got to the Headquarters of the CBN on Central Business District the generator fire had been put under control by a combined team of CBN In-House fire fighters, the Julius Berger team and men of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Fire Service (FFS).

    The fire was said to have started at about 6pm and lasted for about 30 minutes before it was put out. The huge smoke covered a section of the CBN building up to the roof and left the security guards and other staff on duty worried and confused. 

    The Assistant Comptroller, FFS, Bello Atayin said that the fire started at the generator house and attributed the fire incident to a technical fault at the generator house.

    According to him, “the fire incident started at the generator house on the west side of the building and we were alerted. It was a minor fire incident and it had been put under control.”

    “A huge smoke billowed from a faulty generator number three at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) headquarters On Tuesday which caused a fire scare. 

    Reacting to the incident, CBN’s spokesman, and Ag. Director, Corporate Communications, Isaac Okorafor described the report of the fire incident as false.

    In a statement, CBN Spokesman, Isaac Okorafor, said passersby who saw a pall of exhaust from the generator house far away from the building apparently mistook the exhaust for fire smoke.

    “The CBN maintains a total security system that triggers safety alarms in the presence of smoke and so all fire engines and personnel received the alert only to discover that it was an unusual pall of exhaust,” he said”.

    The affected generator has been rested and normal work has been uninterrupted, while the engineers are working to rectify the issues with the generator. We hereby assure the general public that there has been no fire at our building,” he added.

  • Kaduna Electoral Commission gutted by fire days to LG polls

    The Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KAD-SIECOM) head office was on Saturday morning gutted by fire less than a month to the local government elections in the state.

    The cause of the fire could not be ascertained as at the time our correspondent visited the scene.

    However, the commission’s chairman, Dr. (Mrs) Saratu Binta Dikko-Audu, who briefed the press later in the afternoon confirmed that the fire started around 10:30am, and that it affected all the offices on the 2nd floor of the two-storey building.

    According to her, “The offices affected are that of the Chairman, legal and finance departments and conference room.

    “No life was lost, and there were no injuries recorded. At the time the fire started, the members of the commission were in an emergency meeting in the chairman’s office.

    “The ground floor, 1st floor and stores were not affected by the fire. The losses incurred will take a few days to determine.

    Dikko-Audu said, “The fire service and Police are investigating the immediate and remote causes of the fire.”

    Meanwhile, mixed reactions have continued to trail the fire incident.

    Reacting, a front runner for the Kaduna Central Senatorial Seat under the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC,  Alhaji Lawa Adamu popularly known as Mr. LA, described the incident as unfortunate and a drawback to the efforts of the state government and the APC towards building strong democratic institutions.

    Mr. LA, who spoke through an aide, Abdulazeez Suleiman, said it is regrettable that such ugly incident should occur at a time when the state is preparing for election into local government offices.

    However, the Green Party of Nigeria (GPN) has commiserated with the commission and the state government over the unfortunate fire incidence but insisted that the election must hold as scheduled.

    Chairman, GPN in Kaduna, Ahmed Mohammed Zagi in a statement said, his party believed in true and genuine democracy and of the view that the local government areas which are the closest to the grassroots deserve to be administered by elected representatives at the council and ward levels.

    He said “GPN has committed a lot of resources in preparing for the poll and would not hesitate to seek redress in court of law if the poll fails to hold as scheduled.

    Zagi called on the state government and law enforcement agencies to fully investigate the incidences surrounding the fire outbreak.

     

     

  • Kaduna electoral commission office gutted by fire days to LG polls

    The Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KAD-SIECOM) head office was on Saturday morning gutted by fire less than a month to the local government elections in the state.
    The cause of the fire could not be ascertained as at the time our Correspondent visited the scene.
    However, the commission’s chairman, Dr. (Mrs) Saratu Binta Dikko-Audu who briefed the press later in the afternoon confirmed that the fire started around 10:30am, saying that, it affected all the offices on the 2nd floor of the two storey building.
    According to her, “the offices affected are that of the Chairman, legal and finance departments and conference room.”
    “No life was lost, and there were no injuries recorded. At the time the fire started, the members of the Commission were in an emergency meeting in the Chairman’s office.
    “The ground floor, 1st floor and stores were not affected by the fire. The losses incurred will take a few days to determine.
    “The fire service and Police are investigating the immediate and remote causes of the fire,” The chairman added.
    She however declined providing answers to questions by newsmen.
    Meanwhile, mixed reactions have continued to trail the root cause of the fire outbreak.
    Reacting, a front runner for the Kaduna Central senatorial seat under the platform of All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Lawa Adamu popularly known as Mr. LA described the incident as unfortunate and a drawback to the efforts of the state government and the APC to build strong democratic institutions.
    Mr. LA, who spoke through an aide, Abdulazeez Suleiman, said it is regrettable that such ugly incident should occur at a time when the state is preparing for election into local government offices.
    However, the Green Party of Nigeria (GPN) has commiserated with the commission and the state government over the unfortunate fire incidence but insisted that the election must hold as scheduled.
    Chairman, GPN in Kaduna, Ahmed Mohammed Zagi in a statement said, his party believed in true and genuine democracy and of the view that the local government areas which are the closest to the grassroots deserve to be administered by elected representatives at the council and ward levels.
    “GPN has committed a lot of resources in preparing for the poll and would not hesitate to seek redress in court of law  if the poll fail to hold as scheduled.
    “We therefore, insist that the local council poll will still hold as scheduled, while calling on the state government and law enforcement agencies to fully investigate the incidences surrounding the fire outbreak to erase suspicions of sabotage from those who may not want the polls to hold”, he added.

  • Govt shuts Olusosun dump over fire

    •Many injured, 20 vehicles, goods burnt

    THE Lagos State Government yesterday shut  the Olusosun dump at Ojota, which went up in flames on Wednesday night, emitting thick smoke .

    The smoke was still billowing yesterday, making visibility impossible for motorists.

    Many parts of Ojota, the old toll gate, Ikosi, Ketu, Seven-up and Alausa were covered in smoke.

    Some passersby  covered their noses with handkerchiefs and scarfs; others wore face masks to wade through the axis.

    Scores were injured in the explosion; about 20 vehicles, including caterpillars and trucks, were burnt

      Containers,  which served as homes, were also destroyed.

    In a statement, the Commissioner of the Environment Mr Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti explained that the fire was  the ‘’natural outcome of the trapped gases from the waste’’, which escaped.

    This, he said, occurred occasionally in dump, adding that waste in dumpsites naturally emit certain gases that are occasionally released to cause combustion  as  witnessed in Olusosun.

    Durosinmi-Etti directed the public to the Epe Landfill and other dump in the state until the Olusosun dumpsite is restored.

    He recalled that the governmnet had warned that the Olusosun, Solous Igando and Ewu Elepe dump were not sustainable  and had made plans for their phased closure.

    The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Lagos State Fire Service and Lagos State Water Corporation  battled through out yesterday to  quench the fire.

    An Okada rider, who identified himself simply  as Obina, said the explosion occurred around 4pm on Wednesday.

    He said : “I was in the area when the incident happened. We heard a loud sound and everyone ran for their lives. It was fire explosion from diesel at the dump.  One of those boys in the dump must have smoked cigarette, threw it carelessly and it engulfed into fire which contacted with the diesel trucks and led into an explosion. The fire was much and it gave a tough time to all the firefighters that came here. The wind was blowing the fire and that was how it destroyed many things at the dump. I am sure all the firefighters would have used nothing less than 40 trucks to quench this fire from yesterday (Wednesday) till now that they are still battling with it.

    “Many plastics meant for recycling were also lost to the fire. The dump has a side where they usually keep diesel and all the diesel trucks were razed. Thank God no one died.”

    A worker around the dump, Adegoke Obanla, said one of his friends fondly called Papary lost all he had to the fire.

    “Papary works and lives at the dump every Monday to Friday, he only goes to his Ikorodu home on weekends.  He is in Ikorodu now. He has a shop where he does phone charging; the shop and everything he has inside were burnt, including extension boxes, chargers, tables and chairs,” he said.

    Obanla said he lost the N50, 000 cash he kept in his room at the dumpsite for what he called ‘’emergency business’’..

    “There was another guy that got injured on his right hand. The guy was lying on the rug in his room, when he noticed the rug was bringing out smoke. He had to rush out of his room.”

    “Thank God the incident happened at the front side of the dump; if it had happened at the rear, the causalty would have been more than this, because there are many tyres in there as well as residential houses,”he said.

    An official of the firm, which manages the red buses,  said eight of their vehicles were burnt. Some  Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA) trucks were also burnt. He said the fire must have been caused by the burning of the refuse dump.

    “Those people at the dump must have tried burning some of the refuse in the area; they would not have expected it to result into an emergency. Thank God nobody died.”

  • Fire razes ultra-modern IDP camp in Plateau

    Fire razes ultra-modern IDP camp in Plateau

    The newly constructed ultra-modern Internally Displaced Persons ( IDPs ) Camp in Shendam Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau has been razed by fire.

    The camp was constructed by the Presidential Committee on Flood, Relief and Rehabilitation, which came into being after the 2012 flood disaster that ravaged 24 states in the country.

    Mr Bintan Wuyep, Director, Relief and Rehabilitation, Plateau Emergency Management Agency ( SEMA ) confirmed the inferno while speaking with our reporter in Jos on Thursday.

    Wuyep, who is the Acting Executive Secretary of the agency, said the disaster occurred on Tuesday.

    He said, however, that SEMA had been unable to assess the level of damage due to paucity of funds.

    “We don’t have funds even to fuel our vehicle to go to the camp to ascertain the cause of the inferno and assess the extent of damage.

    “We have gone everywhere even for a loan, but we have not succeeded.

    “Hence, we cannot give the exact level of damage caused by the sad incident,” Wuyep said.

    The Acting executive secretary described the incident as “a big loss to Plateau and Nigeria as a whole.’’

    According to him, the camp was meant to house Displaced Persons that might be affected in future disaster in any part of the state.

    Wuyep added that SEMA had already informed the Presidential Committee of the sad development.
    “The committee told us to assess the damage and formally write a report informing them of the cause and extent of damage.

    “But like I said earlier, we are constrained by lack of funds,” he said.

    Wuyep appealed to the State Government to empower the agency with funds to enable it function according to the law establishing it.

    He commended the State House of Assembly for its resolve to investigate the cause of the inferno.

    Wuyep stated that the action was not just timely but necessary.

    NAN

  • Fighting the fire

    Fixing the All Progressives Congress (APC) is a task that must be done to keep the party in power. It is reassuring that President Muhammadu Buhari has come to appreciate the need for party unity as the party prepares for the 2019 general election. Hopefully, it is not too late to heal the party’s self-inflicted wounds.

    It is interesting that Buhari has given the job of mending the collapsing party to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the political giant who played a pivotal role in the formation of the APC, leading to the party’s historic electoral victory in 2015. Against all odds, Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, inspired the party to defeat the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    When the presidency named Tinubu for the job on February 6, it was food for thought. Presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said in a thought-provoking statement: “As part of on-going efforts to improve cohesion within the All Progressives Congress (APC), President Muhammadu Buhari has designated Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to lead the consultation, reconciliation and confidence building efforts. The assignment will involve resolving disagreements among party members, party leadership and political office holders in some states of the Federation.”

    Showing why Buhari chose Tinubu for the assignment, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said in an interview: “Any effort to reconcile and put the party together is a welcome development because there is a lot of work to be done. It requires someone with experience and political skills to do well in that aspect. So, it is a welcome development and we want to commend Mr President for giving that a priority and for finding Asiwaju Tinubu worthy of that assignment. We also commend Asiwaju Tinubu for agreeing to accept the role for the betterment of our great party. We believe our party will come out stronger and united after the reconciliation process.”

    It is unclear how Tinubu will approach the assignment, but there is no question that he will bring his passion and conviction to the task. It is noteworthy that Tinubu spoke about how the APC was formed at the October 2016 launch of a controversial book by Prof. John Paden entitled Muhammadu Buhari – The Challenges of Leadership in Nigeria.

    Tinubu had said at the book launch at the International Conference Centre in Abuja:   “The formation of the All Progressives Congress, APC, is an important event that the book addresses. The merger was the result of teamwork, belief in the democratic will of the people and a commitment to national purpose…So many people made contributions that made the historic merger possible. It would be impossible to give each person the accolades they deserve in a concise work such as this one. However, it is an account that we must begin to chronicle fully, and with care, for it is the story of when reform came to the land.”

    Things have happened since Buhari became president nearly three years ago, and the story has changed from optimism to pessimism. A picture of promised change that has turned ugly was painted in an address read by Dr. Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, the Archbishop of Jos and Conference President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), when concerned Catholic priests visited Buhari on February 8.

    Kaigama said: “We thank you for granting us this audience, which affords us the opportunity to share with you, once again, our thoughts and concerns on some issues affecting our dear country, Nigeria…There is no doubt that when you came into office, you had an enormous amount of the goodwill of Nigerians, since many saw you as a person of integrity who would be able to bring sanity into a system that was nearly crippled by endemic corruption.”

    Then he delivered a blunt criticism:  “Nearly three years later, however, one has the feeling that this goodwill is being fast depleted by some glaring failures of government which we have the moral responsibility to bring to your notice. Else, we would be failing in our duty as spiritual fathers and leaders.”

    Only Buhari loyalists will disagree with the Bishops’ observations. Indeed, it is this observed depletion of goodwill that Tinubu’s mediation is expected to address. Ironically, the mediator will need goodwill to succeed. The party is divided in no fewer than 10 states, including Ondo, Ogun, Kaduna, Bauchi, Kogi, Oyo, Ekiti, Zamfara, Rivers and Delta. According to a report, “The division is visible with notable actors, such as governors, senators and ministers, playing significant roles.”

    This assignment will test Tinubu’s political stature and stretch his political elasticity. It is interesting that Buhari believes Tinubu can renew the party, considering that he has been on the receiving end of bad politics within the party.

    Party member in the South-South Barrister Frank Okon was quoted as saying: “How can you ask the number-one aggrieved member to lead reconciliation? The National Leader is the most aggrieved person in the party today. Who will reconcile Tinubu with the party’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun? Are you not aware that Tinubu himself is aggrieved? He also needs to be pacified, especially in his grievance against the President.”

    Another party member in Adamawa, Alhaji Yinusa Inuwa, was also quoted as saying:  “Tinubu has issues with many people in the party, especially those who went against him during the elections under the leadership of the National Assembly. He is fighting the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and many senators who supported Saraki. He is also fighting Yakubu Dogara and Governor Aminu Tambuwal over the speakership. Who will reconcile him with those lawmakers? Is he going to reconcile himself with them?”

    It is in the greater interest of the party to achieve party unity. By picking Tinubu to do the job, Buhari has demonstrated that he knows who is who in the party when it comes to resolving the internal crisis that may consume the party. But how did the party get into this crisis in the first place?

    Tinubu deserves commendation for staying on course, despite provocations. Those who caused the fire need to be told that they may not always get a firefighter.

  • Herdsmen arrested after exchanging fire with soldiers

    Herdsmen arrested after exchanging fire with soldiers

    Two herdsmen were yesterday arrested in Benue State after they exchanged fire with troops 707 Special Forces Brigade troops on a routine patrol along Gbajimba – Iyiodeh road in Guma Local Government Area.

    They were arrested close to a fish farm owned by Governor Samuel Ortom.

    The spokesman of 707 Special Forces Brigade Makurdi, Major Olabisi Ayeni, said the suspects were planning a dangerous mission but were sighted by the roops on patrol.

    According to Major Ayeni the  militia who were suspected to be converging, possibly for an attack on Ortom’s farm and other citizens’, were about to be approached for questioning when they opened fire on the troops as they made to run away but were engaged and two of them arrested.

    Major Ayeni said the two herdsmen were handed over to the police.

    Also yesterday, the police arraigned an 18-year-old herder, Abu Shagari, in a Makurdi Magistrates’ Court, for alleged open grazing.

    The prosecutor, Sgt. Abdulkarim Abubakar, told the court that the accused person was arrested by a team of vigilance group, led by Gwaza Jacob.

    He said the accused person was subsequently handed over to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) in Makurdi on January 21.

    Abubakar said the team was on patrol on Adaka Road in Makurdi metropolis, when they saw the accused person taking his cattle to openly graze on the field.

    He said the accused person hailed from Shabu village in Nasarawa State.

    The prosecutor averred that other herders in company of the accused person were at large.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the accused person pleaded guilty to the charges.

    The prosecutor prayed the court to enter a summary judgment on the accused person, based on his guilty plea in line with Section 157 of the CPC.

    However, My Jijani Ahmed, counsel to the accused person, had urged the court to reverse the plea of guilty to not guilty in the interest of justice.

    He said his client must be given the opportunity to defend himself and for the prosecution to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt before a judgment could be entered.

    The Magistrate, Mr Emmanuel Azembe, held that the accused person must give full explanation of his plea and the consequences that followed it.

    He asked Shagari to show cause why the court should not convict him on the grounds of his plea.

    The magistrate, however, extended a life line to the accused person by asking if he could change his plea to “not guilty’’.

  • Properties destroyed as fire gut shops in Aba

    Properties destroyed as fire gut shops in Aba

    Traders and sympathizers at New Market in Aba, Abia State Line 49, Lagos zone could not hold back their tears as a mysterious fire gutted 14 shops and destroyed goods worth millions of cash in the inferno.

    Our correspondent who visited the scene of the inferno on Thursday reports that the traders claimed that they couldn’t save a pin from the inferno they said started when they had all gone home after their day’s business.

    While the affected traders were seen picking and packing out charred goods from their shops, others who could not hold back their emotions were seen being consoled by sympathizers at the scene.

    Some of the traders who spoke anonymously demanded that the security men on duty should be questioned. This is as some of them claimed that the inferno was sponsored.

    They wondered how the area that doesn’t have electricity supply over decades or have anyone that sells restaurant got burnt over a night. They also queried the inability of the security men on duty in the area to raise alarm when they spotted an unusual fire or smoke in a place that doesn’t even sell any inflammable material.

    One of the traders, Mr. Ifeanyi Ogbonna who was still struggling with his emotion but however, summoned courage to speak to our reporter at the scene said that he lost about N2.5m while a neighbour who sells provision lost goods worth about N8m.

    According to him, men of the Abia State Fire Service came to attend to the fire, but left when they ran out of water.

    He said that the fire was later quenched by sympathizers who used water from a nearby borehole operator to attack and stopped the fire from engulfing other shops in the zone.

    He appealed to the governor of the state, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu and other well-meaning Nigerians to come to their aid as they cannot bear the pain and weight of the loss alone.

    Okezie Uche, Head Aba Fire Service said that the cause of the fire could not be ascertained at the time of filing the report, but however stated that it could have been unconnected to the change in temperature.

    Uche advised chairmen of various lines in the market and other markets in Aba and its environs to make sure that they have materials that would enable them to quench fire at the early stage before it goes out of hand.

  • Fire razes Gold FM

    Fire razes Gold FM

    Equipment worth hundreds of millions of naira got burnt yesterday in an inferno that burnt the operational headquarters of Gold FM in Iloko-Ijesa, Oaun State.

    It was gathered that the fire started around 4.30 pm from the studio arm of the radio station before spreading to other parts of the facility.

    According to a staff of the radio station, who preferred not to be mentioned, the fire was a result of fire surge from the IBEDC, when electricity supplied was brought back.

    The source disclosed that three quarter of the radio station was affected by the fire outbreak.

    Investigation also revealed that the situation had deteriorated before the men of the state Fire Service arrived, as a result, not much could be salvaged from the huge fire.