A section of the Rivers State Government Secretariat complex in Port Harcourt was on Monday engulfed in flames, destroying offices and vital documents before firefighters brought the blaze under control.
Eyewitnesses said thick smoke was first noticed around the wing housing the Rivers State Pension Board, prompting panic among civil servants and passersby. The fire, which reportedly began in the early hours, quickly spread through adjoining offices before fire service personnel intervened.
Confirming the incident, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Mr. Honour Sirawoo, said firefighters from both the Rivers State Fire Service and the Federal Fire Service responded swiftly to contain the inferno. He noted that the extent of the damage and the cause of the fire were yet to be determined at the time of filing this report.
> “The situation is under control, and no casualty has been confirmed so far,” Sirawoo stated.
Sources within the Secretariat said the affected Pension Board had recently undergone administrative restructuring following directives from the state government transferring some of its functions to the Office of the Accountant-General. This has fueled speculations linking the fire to possible sabotage, though officials have not confirmed any such theory.
As of press time, a combined team of firefighters and security operatives continued efforts to ensure the fire was completely extinguished while investigations were underway to ascertain the cause and assess the level of damage.
The Rivers State Secretariat, located along Moscow Road in Port Harcourt, houses several key ministries, departments, and agencies of the state government.
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