A section of the Justice Muhammad Sidi Bage Federal Secretariat in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, was destroyed by fire on Saturday evening, with properties worth millions of naira lost in the incident.
The fire reportedly started around 4:00 PM and affected part of the government complex before emergency responders successfully brought the situation under control.
Officials of both the Federal Fire Service and Nasarawa State Fire Service worked together to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to other sections of the secretariat.
Speaking to journalists after inspecting the scene, the Nasarawa State Commissioner of Police, Shettima Jauro, confirmed that security personnel had been deployed around the facility to stop criminals from taking advantage of the incident to vandalise offices and government property.
According to him, the fire broke out in an area used for housing inverter panels within the complex.
“We received information about the fire while returning from monitoring the ongoing election exercise. Immediately, we moved to the scene and discovered the situation was already being handled by firefighters,” he said.
The police commissioner explained that poor ventilation around the inverter section may have contributed to the outbreak.
He also praised the quick intervention of the fire service, noting that the combined efforts of federal and state firefighters helped prevent major destruction.
“As we speak, police officers and personnel of the Civil Defence Corps have been strategically stationed around the secretariat to secure the facility,” he added.
A fire service official, who preferred not to be named, confirmed that the inferno had been fully contained.
The official, however, stated that investigations would be carried out to determine the exact cause of the fire.