Following the fire outbreak at the Supreme Court complex on Monday morning, its spokesperson, Dr. Festus Akande, clarified that only one chamber of the building was affected.
Akande disclosed this to reporters shortly after the fire was put out by the Supreme Court’s Fire Service Department.
Chronicle NG had earlier reported that a section of the apex court building located in the Three Arms Zone of Abuja was gutted by fire.
According to Akande, the fire erupted between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. “when staff were already in the office.”
“Further investigations are going on, so we can’t say categorically, but from what we found out, it was an electric fault,” Akande said about the cause of the fire.
He added that the staff were able to put out the fire immediately.
“They deployed the fire extinguishers installed on all the floors of the court. They were able to douse the fire even before the court heard from the fire service outside the Supreme Court. It didn’t take up to an hour before they put out the fire,” he reiterated.
Akande assured Nigerians that the fire incident would not affect any of the Supreme Court’s proceedings.
“This incident occurred in a chamber that is equipped with computers and other equipment, as well as a functional library being used by any justice that occupies such a chamber. Only books, stationery, and computer equipment were affected. Even the books are replaceable. We also have an e-library, so the books are still available in soft copies,” Akande stated.
