Fire guts Benue govt house

A section of the Benue State Government House in Makurdi was gutted by fire on Wednesday afternoon.

Our correspondent gathered that the incident caused panic among staff who were carrying out their various duties within the government house complex at the time as it momentarily forced them to desert their post.

It was also learnt that the fire started about 12:30pm from the engine control room located between the account section and old banquet hall within the complex.

However, no life was reportedly lost but some electrical equipments were allegedly destroyed by the fire.

Witnesses said the fire occurred from the generating plant following a faulty electrical connection within the accounts section but the combined efforts of workers and the State Fire Service stationed in the complex helped to quench the fire almost immediately.

The Permanent Secretary, Government House Administration, Iangba Gabriel, confirmed that the fire outbreak did not extend to the main account as he explained that the generator plant tried to malfunction but was immediately shutdown to avoid any damage.

“It was not a serious incident and no damage was done. Those things you saw around the area were debris around the generator room that caught fire.

“People are calling me from Abuja, including our people who went to EFCC office, that they heard government house complex particularly the account section was set on fire. In fact, it was not true. The burnt wires and poles were properties of old Nitel not NEPA,” he said.