The hallow chamber of the Kogi state House of Assembly has been gutted by fire.
The cause of the inferno which occured on Monday, could however, not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.
It took the intervention of the Dangote Group firefighters who battled the fire for two hours, thus preventing the fire from escalating to the entire House of Assembly.
Meanwhile, one of the security guards in the Assembly said that the fire started in the middle of the night, but it was noticeable around 7 a.m on Monday.
Part of the Assembly mostly affected by the fire is the Hallow Chamber, press gallery, and some offices razed down completely.
The Speaker of the House, Prince Mathew Kolawole, and the State Security Adviser, Commander Jerry Omodara, were among top government officials who visited the scene.
Kolawole, who spoke to journalists in Lokoja, said that he suspects sabotage. He, however, said he does not know where the suspected sabotage might be from.
Asked whether it might have been linked with the recent happening between the Assembly and Dangote Group, the Speaker said that is left to the security agencies to determine from their investigation.
“We should leave security people to do their work and give us a report going forward,” the Speaker said.
Reacting to the incident, the Kogi State Deputy Governor, Edward Onoja, said the state government cannot determine the causes of the fire outbreak at the Assembly until the security agents complete their investigation.
Admitting that the Assembly suffered colossal damage as a result of the inferno, Onoja said the state government has directed a full investigation, assuring that very soon the remote cause will be unravelled.
He stressed that the fire incident that affected the Assembly is the first in the life of the current administration under the leadership of Governor Yahaya Bello.
According to the deputy governor, the state government will provide an avenue for the members of the Assembly to continue their legislative assignments as spelt out by law.
