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The recent fire incident at a section of the Supreme Court complex in Abuja is unfortunate. The fire, which engulfed one of the justices’ chambers, occurred on September 25, before it was put out by firefighters and other security agents. Books, furniture and other items were destroyed by the fire. Fortunately, no life was lost.
According to the spokesperson of the apex court, Festus Akande, the cause of the fire was traced to an electrical fault from one of the chambers of the justices. Despite the preliminary report, the Federal Capital (FCT) Police Command, however, said that the cause of the inferno was still being investigated by appropriate authorities. The Federal Fire Service (FFS) Controller General, Jaji Abdulganiyu, also disclosed the cause of the fire had not been ascertained.
The incident, which occurred shortly after the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the February election, Peter Obi, and his counterpart, Atiku Abubakar, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) filed appeals at the apex court challenging the affirmation of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the polls by the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT), has raised some concerns.
The PDP has expressed serious concern at the fire outbreak, describing it as suspicious. A statement by the national publicity secretary, Debo Ologunagba, stated that “the PDP is worried over the fire outbreak, especially given heightened public apprehension of possible arsonist attack with the intent to cripple and frustrate the Supreme Court from effectively discharging its constitutional duties, especially with regard to high-profile electoral cases, including the presidential election appeals pending before it.”
Consequently, the party has called for an immediate full-scale investigation of the fire outbreak with a view to unravelling the circumstances that led to the incident. The PDP also enjoined that the outcome of the investigation should be made public, unlike those of other previous fire incidents in some government ministries, departments and agencies, which were swept under the carpet by the successive administrations in the country.
Interestingly, the Supreme Court has assured Nigerians that the election petitions and other matters before it would not be affected by the inferno. In spite of the assurance by the apex court, we still call for a proper and transparent investigation of the fire. Nigerians would like to be know what caused the fire incident.
The fire outbreak, coming at a time when Nigerians are waiting for the Supreme Court to deliver the final judgment on the highly contentious 2023 presidential election matter, makes the incident worrisome. We call on the concerned authorities to ensure that no stone is left unturned in getting to the root of the fire outbreak and the magnitude of the loss incurred. Any person or persons found to be involved in the dastardly incident should be made to face the full wrath of the law.
This is not the first time a public institution has been partially or wholly engulfed by fire, forcing the authorities to pledge to institute probes into the incidents. Unfortunately, none of the reports of the probe panels had been made public. Let the probe into the recent fire incident at the Supreme Court not be lumped among some of those inquests that never saw the light of day. At the same time, Nigerians need to be convinced that there are no ulterior motives or foul play behind the fire.
Henceforth, the federal government must ensure that there is adequate security at the Supreme Court. Its premises should be protected against fire. Being the highest court in the country, the Supreme Court should be treated with respect and dignity. As a foremost national institution, it deserves adequate protection at all times.
Let the fire incident at the apex court serve as a wake-up call on those responsible for its security and maintenance to address all shortcomings. Let those probing the fire incident handle the matter with urgency.
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