By Sunday Ogli
BENUE State government has stated that only the generating plant in Government House Makurdi was destroyed by fire recently contrary to speculations that the account section, including valuable documents, were destroyed during the incident.
According to a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Terve Akase, the fire resulted from an electrical fault at the maintenance section of the Government House and badly affected the generating plant.
Akase who stated that the fire was put out before it could spread to other installations said that the fire was purely an accident and not an act of sabotage, as all official documents in the adjoining buildings are safe and intact.
Also speaking on the incident, Permanent Secretary, Government House Administration, Mr. Iangba Gabriel, said that the firebreak did not extend to the main account, stressing that it was the generator plant which tried to malfunction and that it was immediately shut down 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”, Iangba stated.
