- Akande stated that the fire outbreak won’t affect anything in the court
- Says the only thing that was affected were the books and computer equipment in the chamber
Festus Akande, the Public Relations Officer for the court, says the fire incident that occurred on Monday morning has no connection and won’t have an effect on the presidential election petition.
WITHIN NIGERIA reported earlier that a wing of the Supreme Court complex situated at the Three-Arm-Zone, Abuja, was engulfed by fire on Monday morning.
Speaking during an interview on Arise TV on Monday, Akande stated that the fire outbreak won’t affect anything in the court.
He said, “As a matter of fact, there’s no single connection, and it won’t affect anything in the court.
“This incident occurred in a chamber equipped with a computer and other equipment, as well as a functional library used by any justice occupying such chamber.
“The only thing that was affected were the books and computer equipment in the chamber. Even the books are replaceable.
“Also, it has nothing to do with it because it was from an electrical fault, which could happen anywhere, and there are things that happen daily.”
He also dismissed claims that there were casualties from the fire incident.
Akande stated, “Since it wasn’t a serious issue, there was no point in evacuating people. The staff were fully on the ground and they moved in to douse the fire.”
Akande added that the stories making the rounds on social media that there are casualties are “fake news”.
According to reports, the cleaners on duty and some of the workers who resumed work early detected the fire and raised the alarm.
The workers were said to have used the fire extinguishers in the building to combat the fire.
Three offices, including that of Justice Mohammed Saulawa, were affected by the fire.