Fire Destroys INEC Headquarters

Fire on Sunday night gutted the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Enugu State.

It was gathered that the fire may have been started by suspected arsonists.

The fire at the headquarter located at number 1 Achi Street by Agric Bank Bus stop in Independence Layout, Enugu, was confirmed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) by the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Mohammed Aliyu.

The commissioner, who did not respond to further questions, said that he was still at the scene of the incident to save the office from the disaster.

It was, however, gathered at the time of filing this report, that the Enugu State Fire Service as well as the Federal Fire Service were also doing everything possible to quench the fire.

Several calls made to INEC officials especially the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr Emeka Ononamadu and the Public Relations Officer were not picked.

Photographs shared on Facebook showed vehicles parked inside the premises on fire.

The fire was also shown raging inside the one-storey building.

Truetells Nigeria reports that the incident is happening barely one week after the agency’s office in Obollo-Afor, Udenu was razed.

The spokesperson of the state Police Command, ASP Daniel Ndukwe, had stated that preliminary investigation suggests that the fire in the Obollo-Afor office of INEC, which was eventually put out before it could spread to other offices around the building, may have been caused by a power surge due to a sudden power supply to the building.

He added that the state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Ndatsu Aliyu, ordered the cordoning off of the scene and launch of a thorough investigation to further ascertain the actual cause of the fire outbreak and damages incurred.

This online newspaper reports that INEC’s offices in Abia State and Akwa Ibom have recently been gutted by fire.