A fire outbreak at a section of the Nigerian Senate wing was reportedly contained before spreading further within the National Assembly complex.
A fire outbreak on Wednesday affected part of the Senate wing of the National Assembly complex in Abuja, prompting lawmakers and officials within the building to respond quickly as smoke spread through one of the hearing rooms.
The incident reportedly occurred at Hearing Room 107 shortly after the Senate Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission concluded the screening of Dr. Zainab Marwa, a nominee representing the North-East on the commission’s board.
Preliminary reports indicated that the fire started from a kitchen compartment attached to the hearing room before it was brought under control. Senators Asuquo Ekpenyong and Salihu Mustapha were among those said to have participated in efforts to contain the situation and prevent the fire from spreading to adjoining sections of the complex.
The development briefly disrupted activities within the affected area of the National Assembly, drawing attention to safety concerns inside one of the country’s most important legislative facilities. Although panic reportedly followed the incident, no casualty was recorded.
Early indications suggested the fire may have been triggered by a microwave device allegedly left switched on in the kitchen area, though no official technical report had been released at the time of filing this report.
Normal activities later resumed within the complex after the situation was brought under control.