Fire engulfs ICT building at INEC

Abuja – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reported a fire incident at its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) building in Abuja on Monday.

A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr Kayode Idowu, said that the incident occurred in the office of the former Director, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), located in the ICT Building.

Kayode said that men of the Fire Service attached to the Commission had since put off the fire, adding that the incident did not affect the commission’s facility.

He also said that an initial assessment had indicated that incident might have resulted from an electrical fault, adding that all the relevant agencies had started investigation into the cause of the fire.

An eyewitness told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the fire started at about noon, razing the ADR office.

NAN reports that the commission’s staff members were seen loitering around the building, while a security man was directed to inform Zenith Bank officials occupying a section of the building to evacuate.

NAN further reports  that the entire floor of the building were water logged as smoke filled the air and the commission’s staff members were evacuated from the building.

NAN recalls that a similar incident occurred on Jan. 7, razing the office of the commission’s Director of Voter Registry in the same ICT building.

Similarly, on May 16, 2012 the INEC Electoral Institute went up in flame. (NAN)

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