The Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria (CoSAP) have called for immediate probe into the fire that gutted the Kogi Assembly Complex in Lokoja.
This is contained in a statement issued by the media aide to Mr Abubakar Sulaiman, Chairman of the CoSAP, Mr Abdul Bura in Bauchi.
The conference expressed shock over the ugly fire incident.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that on Oct. 10, the assembly was razed by an early morning fire which began in the middle of the night, but security agents were able to notice it at about 7a.m.
Sulaiman who is the Speaker Bauchi state House of Assembly sympathised with the Speaker of the Kogi Assembly, Mr Matthew Kolawole over the fire incident.
The chairman called on relevant authorities to investigate the incident to unravel what triggered the fire with a view to forestalling its recurrence.
“All culprits must be prosecuted after the investigation. We pray against recurrence of such unfortunate incident,” he said.
The chairman advised members of the Kogi assembly to remain calm and resolute over the incident and allow investigation to take place.
NAN reports that the most affected place was the Hallowed Chamber of the lawmakers, which was completely razed down, including chairs, tables and roof of the building.
Speaker Kolawole and the state security adviser, Jerry Omodara were among early callers at the assembly complex.
Kolawole, who spoke to newsmen, said he suspected sabotage, but did not mention where the suspected sabotage was coming from.
“We should leave security people to do their work and give us a report going forward,” the speaker said.
Also, the state Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, in a statement noted that security and technical experts have began work to unravel the cause of the inferno, which had caused significant damage to the complex.
“As new findings emerge, the state government will notify the general public,” he said.
He added that the state government will also make provisions for temporary arrangements to ensure that the legislative business is not completely halted as a result of the unfortunate incident.
(NAN)
