From David Torough, Makurdi

The Makurdi branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in the early hours of yesterday was gutted by fire.

Those, who thronged the premises, including newsmen were denied access into the facility by security personnel.

The fire incident, which started around 7:AM, was quickly put off by men of the Federal Fire Service, who were alerted by security men on duty.

A source told DAILY ASSET that the fire started from the power section of the Bank, and did not affect other sections, saying that the fire could be a result of technical fault.

“The fire started from the power house and the security quickly called the fire fighters who came and put it off, it does not escalate to the main building,” the source said.

Staff of the Bank were seen discussing the incident at the time of filling this report.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) headquarter in Abuja, later issued a statement, saying, there were no fatalities in the fire incident, which started from the fuel dump behind the branch building.

The statement, which was signed by the CBN Director of Corporate Communication, Osita Nwanisobi, added that the prompt response of Bank’s security and facility management units, as well as support from the Benue State Fire Service helped fight the fire and prevented any damage the fire might have caused to the main office building.

“Fortunately, there were no fatalities and the affected site has been condoned off for further investigation. Normal work has also continued at the branch,” the statement added.

In an interview, the Director General, Benue Fire Service, Engr. Ikyaaza Donald explains: “I was not there anyway but from the information I have gathered, some called me that there was fire at the central bank so I quickly called my fire men. They came and quenched the fire but what I have gathered from the people in the central bank is that they told me that there was an explosion and nothing more than that.

“They came out and saw how it happened, it was a terrible one, in fact, there was a very serious fire and they had to put it off. When I got there, the tank was buried under the ground, the tank that stores diesel. To my thinking, it is the accumulated pressure in the tank that caused the explosion, probably the vent that supposed to ease the pressure was blocked somewhere  along the pipe.

“Otherwise it is supposed to be releasing the pressure once in awhile otherwise if the pressure is too much, it explodes the tank. That is what I think caused the explosion otherwise tank can’t just explode like that, so there is built-up pressure inside the tank. He said.

On the allegation that it was the generator that caused the fire, that Director said, “it was not the generator, it was not near where the money was stored, it was just the area where they buried the tank under the ground. You know they buried the tank in the ground and put slaps on top, so when the explosion happened, it exploded and opened but it was just within the tank. All our fire vehicles were on ground”.

He appreciated Governor Samuel Ortom for providing fire fighting equipments for the service.

“We thank his Excellency for this work because if he is not doing it well, we wouldn’t have quenched this fire, all our vehicles were there before we were able to put off the fire, it was a very serious fight, it was a very tensed fire, it was not just an ordinary one,” he said

Engr. Ikyaaza advised people to always seek professional advice before carrying a project.

“Just as our custom, when we finish a project, we don’t care to go back to do some necessary inspections and repairs. If you are installing a tank in the ground, there is usually a vent/place where you release the pressure, so, if you observed that the pressure is not released, if there is a built up pressure, it is dangerous. Once in a while, inspect and make that you release the pressure from the tank because major explosion that happen sometimes is the built up pressure within if it is not released can cause serious explosion so people should learn to invite professionals to save cost,” he said.

When contacted, Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, SP. Sewuese Anene said that the command received information about the incident from policemen on duty at the bank and swiftly deployed additional team to the scene to ensure orderliness, while fire fighters did their job.