Unknown gunmen yesterday allegedly set ablaze the warehouse accommodating the relief materials meant for distribution to the 2012 flood victims in Benue State.

This was coming just as the Benue State Committee on Relief and Rehabilitation of Flood Victims was distributing the donated relief items to flood victims.

LEADERSHIP gathered that the fire incident, which started at about 4.00pm yesterday lasted for more than two hours and fire fighters in the state could not quickly arrive at the scene to put it off.

The warehouse is a converted building of a new primary school called LGEA Wurukum, located on Iorchia Ayu road Makurdi. The modern primary school has just been built and commissioned by Governor Gabriel Suswam.

However, the head teacher of the school, Mrs. Laadi Ngbeha told newsmen that the inferno was caused by an explosion which, she said happened in the block of the building when she had already closed from school.

Another version said the fire was propelled by some unknown gunmen who, according to sources, were accompanied by some flood victims that were allegedly denied materials by the executive secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mr. Adikpo Agbatse.

Benue State deputy governor, Chief Steven Lawani who paid a visit to the scene described the incident as unfortunate and directed the chairman of Makurdi local government council, Mr. Godwin Donko to immediately submit a formal report of the incident to the state government.