Newsfront Online …Telling the Public as it is
…Everything inside burnt down, says security personnel
…Dangote Group refutes link with incident
Kogi State House of Assembly Speaker Mathew Kolawole has expressed shock over the fire that occurred at the assembly’s complex yesterday in Lokoja, the state capital.
The cause of the fire, which occurred in the morning, could not be immediately ascertained. Addressing reporters over the incident, the Speaker described it as “very unfortunate”. “I’m assuring you that this attack on our complex will not stop the Assembly from performing its duty. We shall dig into its root until the truth is revealed,” he said.
Kolawole noted that the Assembly would allow security agencies to investigate the fire to ascertain its cause and the level of damage. Also, the state government has urged the residents to remain calm over the incident.
In a statement, Information Kingsley Fanwo said security and technical experts were working hard to unravel the cause(s) of the inferno, which he claimed had caused significant damage to the complex. “We urge the general public to be calm, law abiding and resist the temptation of being lawless as the government is capable of dealing with the likely outcome of the investigations.
“The state government will also make provision for temporary arrangements to ensure legislative business is not completely halted as a result of the unfortunate incident,” he said. The commissioner, who described the incident as “very sad”, added that the Yahaya Belo administration would inform the public of the findings as they unfolded.
Also, security personnel watching over the Assembly complex yesterday told Kolawole, who visited the scene, that “all we saw was heavy smoke coming out of the complex this morning”.
They added: “By the time we rushed to see what exactly was the problem, the entire Assembly was already on fire with everything inside burnt down. “We then shouted for help even though the complex is in a lonely place with neighbours far away.”
The area most affected by the fire was the Assembly gallery, which was completely burnt to ashes. Also, Dangote Group has disassociated itself from the fire at the Kogi State House of Assembly.
In a statement yesterday in Lagos by the Head of Branding and Communications at Dangote Industries Limited, Mr. Anthony Chiejina, the company said the company, as a socially responsible corporate entity, totally refuted this allegation and condemned “the unprofessional and irresponsible attempt to smear its image before local and international investors and thus erode its brand value”.
The company said it would never stoop so low as to sponsor thugs to destroy any property belonging to either government or any individual. According to him, such action runs contrary to the group’s business ethos and everything the company stands for as a leading manufacturer with teeming customers and consumers across Nigeria and Africa.
He said lawyers representing Dangote Group had been mandated to react appropriately to the damaging allegation from the Kogi State government within the full extent of the law. “Our attention has been drawn to a circulating statement issued by the Kogi State government, wherein the Dangote Group was accused of allegedly sponsoring arsonists to set the Kogi State House of Assembly on fire in the early hours of Monday, October 10.
“…In an attempt to possibly destroy evidence relating to the ownership tussle between the Kogi State government and the Dangote Group over the Obajana Cement Company. We urge our stakeholders and the public to disregard such irresponsible and insane statements…”
(thenationonlineng.net)
