By Amos Aar
THE Fire Service in Makurdi, Benue State capital has offered explanations for fire outbreak in the early hours of Thursday, 21st April, 2021 at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN’s) Makurdi office, which covers North-Central states.
Although National Record correspondent was not allowed to speak with the authorities of the CBN Branch in Makurdi; however, the Benue State Director of Fire Service, Engr. Donald Ikyaaza, who was on ground at the time of gathering this information, said the fire outbreak was caused by an explosion from a tank.
“Well, I was not there but from the information I gathered, that there was fire around Central Bank, and I quickly called my firemen to rush to the place. So they came and put off the fire. But people in Central Bank told me they heard a loud sound of explosion and when they came out, they saw it like that. It was a terrible one, serious fire was there.
“When I went there, a tank in which they stored diesel was buried under ground. I’m looking at it that maybe it built up pressure into the tank, causing the explosion. Probably, the vent that released that pressure was blocked somewhere along the pipe, otherwise, it is supposed to be loosening the pressure. If you don’t release the pressure once in a while, the tank will explode.”
He debunked rumours that it’s the generator that caught fire and that the finance unit was affected.
“What I observed was not generator; it was not near the money unit. It was just where they stored the tank underground and covered it. When the explosion occurred, the whole thing opened up but much damage was not recorded as people are talking about, it was just within that tank.
“We thank His Excellency, Governor Samuel Ortom, for this work because if he had not done it well, we wouldn’t have put off the fire successfully. In fact, all our vehicles were there; we were able to put off the fire, it was a very intense fire.
“I want to advise that when you finish a project, don’t just go back, do some necessary inspections and repairs. When you are installing a tank underground, there is a vent where you release pressure. So if you observe that the pressure is not released, if there’s a built-up pressure, it’s dangerous. Once in a while, make sure you release the pressure from the tank; otherwise major explosions could happen as a result of the built-up pressure from within, if not released. You can invite professionals to come in when you are doing this kind of job,” Ikyaaza advised.
Confirming the incident to National Record, Benue State Police Pubic Relations Officer (PPRO), Catherine Sewuese Anene, said: “information was received about this incident from policemen on duty at the bank and swiftly, an additional team was sent to ensure orderliness while fire fighters did their job.”
Watertight security was beefed up around CBN area with soldiers on guard as at 12 noon.
