Fire Engulfs Ogoja High Court in Cross River, Destroying the Building
A devastating fire has completely ravaged the Cross River State High Court in Ogoja, located within the Government Reserved Area (GRA), according to reports by News360 Nigeria.
The blaze, which started on Sunday evening around 7 PM, left the building completely destroyed, with no part of it left standing.
Eyewitnesses, including Sani Mohammed, who was at the scene, have ruled out the possibility of the fire being caused by bush burning, despite the ongoing dry season and farming activities in the area.
“The front of the court is paved, and the back is far from any bushes or dry grass, so it’s clear this wasn’t caused by bush burning. Moreover, there was no electricity supply at that time, and Ogoja rarely has power, so it couldn’t have been an electrical fault,” Mohammed explained.
He also suggested that the fire might have been set intentionally by someone with a vested interest in the court’s proceedings. “People are speculating that someone with a strong case in the court may have been involved,” he said.
Mohammed and others attempted to extinguish the fire, but their efforts were unsuccessful, as no fire service personnel arrived to assist. “There was no fire service available, even though their office is nearby. But that office is in poor condition and urgently needs repairs and funding,” he said, adding that they resorted to fetching water in buckets, but the flames were too strong to contain. “It’s very sad to see everything go up in flames like that,” he lamented.
Attempts to contact the State Fire Service in Ogoja for comment were unsuccessful at the time of writing.
However, Mr. Cletus Makers (Retd.), the Comptroller of the Federal Fire Service in the state, expressed his frustration over the lack of resources. “We are facing severe logistical challenges. The only fire truck available in the entire state is in Calabar, which is about 200 kilometers away from Ogoja,” he said. “Even if they wanted to respond, there is little that could have been done.”
Cross River State Commissioner of Police, CP Augustine Grimah, assured the public that the incident would be investigated thoroughly as a potential case of arson.
