Fire Outbreaks: Ebonyi Government alleges sabotage

#Ebonyi State Government Saturday blamed the series of fire outbreaks in the state to sabotage by unknown persons.

It said such acts of sabotage are being treated as terrorism by the state
government.

The state have recorded over eight fire outbreaks within the past two weeks
with many lives lost and properties worth million of naira destroyed.

The major ones include two separate incidents at the Abakpa Main Market in
Abakaliki which razed at least 50 shops.

Also an INEC office in Izzi local government was destroyed while a mother and seven of her children were burnt to death in another incident in Ishielu local government area.

Chairman of Ebonyi State Emergency Management Agency, (EBSEMA), Evangelist
Ephraim Ononye said the state government initially attributed the earlier fire outbreaks to carelessness by some residents.

He said recurrence of such fires across the state have made it to reevaluate the cause.

According to him, preliminary investigations show that the fires may have been deliberately started by unknown criminal elements.

His words, “Earlier, we were looking at it from the angle of carelessness from the people but now I am looking at it as sabotage and terrorism. I am looking at it from the point that some people are behind it, I think it is a deliberate sabotage”.

“The last fire outbreak at the market, there was no electricity in that area, so how did the fire start?. It wasn’t candle either because they close by 5pm and the fire started by 3am the following day. No candle left before close of market would have burnt till that time”

“The fire at Ezeagu, the two buildings are not close to each other but the fire started at the same time on both buildings. So it’s also suspicious”.

He blamed the inability of the fire service to respond adequately to the fires to inability of past administration to adequately equip the service.

The Chairman said the state government has ordered two more fire fighting trucks which will arrive the state within the week to improve the capacity of the fire service.

“Before the inception of this present administration, there was no fire service in Ebonyi state. They had just the structure and the vandalized vehicles”.

“But the present administration rehabilitated their boreholes, built an underground water reservoir, channeled water from state water
reservoir to be supplying them water and repaired their fire fighting truck.

“Government have made approval for two water tankers that will arrive the state within the week to enhance their ability to fight fire.”