The Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Mathew Kolawole, is blaming sabotage for the early morning fire that gutted the state assembly complex on Monday.
The fire, which razed the hallowed chamber of the assembly, was said to have started in the early hours of Monday and continued until 8am when a fire engine belonging to Dangote Cement, Obajana, arrived to extinguish the fire.
Speaking with newsmen at the premises of the assembly complex on Monday, the Speaker expressed deep concern over the the incident.
He said he could not specifically say who might have been responsible for the fire outbreak.
“I can’t say categorically who might have been responsible. I will urge us to wait until the security operatives concluded their investigation and send us their reports.
Meanwhile, a senior member of staff of the assembly, who pleaded anonymity, said the fire might have come from an explosive planted by a suspected saboteur.
“Only an explosive can cause a crack in the wall such as the one in the hallow chamber,” he said.
A statement issued later in the day by the state Commissioner for information, Kingsley Fanwo, confirming the incident, said security and technical experts were currently working hard to unravel the cause(s) of the inferno which has caused significant damage to the Complex.
“The State Government will inform the general public of findings as they unfold.
“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,” he added.
He said 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.
