Leadership (Abuja)
Catherine Agbo
8 November 2009
Abuja — The University of Benin liaison office, which also doubles as the guest house of the University, located at no. 23 Jos Street, Garki, in the FCT, was over the weekend razed by fire.
According to some employees of the office who witnessed the incident, the fire started at about 1:15pm Friday afternoon. The cause of the inferno was not immediately established, but an eyewitness who did not want his name in print attributed it to an electrical fault due to power fluctuations from the public power supply source. "This fire outbreak has to do with power fluctuation. We were here and the PHCN kept on fluctuating the power supply.
They seized (cut off) and restored power about six times in quick succession and the next thing we heard was a loud thud which was followed by the fire". Eyewitness accounts said property lost in the inferno was estimated about N40 million, as items including computers, refrigerators, television sets, furniture and official documents as well as other sundry items were lost. No lives were however, lost, as the men of the Federal Fire Service Area 10 responded swiftly when called and succeeded in putting out the fire at about 2:45pm. When contacted the university liaison officer, Mr. Lucky Ikharo declined comments on the matter, saying he had to assess the level of damage first.
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