Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
There was panic, yesterday, at the National Assembly as workers scampered for safety following a fire incident at the pantry of Hearing Room 322 in the House of Representatives wing of the legislative complex. The hearing room which is located on the third floor of the House of Representatives wing of the National Assembly, is few steps away from the office of the Special Adviser to the Speaker on Media and Public Affairs.
An eyewitness said there was thick smoke around the corridor, where the hearing room is located as to make those around difficult to breath. According to him, “the fire was serious and there was smoke everywhere and it spread and was so thick that it was difficult to breath.” He said the incident created panic with many workers rushing out of their offices in a bid to escape. The eyewitness added that the fire was, however, put out with a wall fire extinguisher nearby.
The cause of the fire could not be ascertained as the time of filing this report. Repeated efforts to reach the Director of Information in the National Assembly, Rawlings Agada were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to calls to his mobile line.