Fire breaks out in INEC warehouse

A fire has broken out at the warehouse of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Electoral Institute in Abuja.

Items such as bags, envelopes, election forms and an electrical control panel/ switch are said to have been destroyed in the fire.

However the commission has said that no sensitive materials were destroyed adding that the damaged items were old and “non-sensitive materials” which were used for the 2011 elections.

“These are non-sensitive materials that have been banned in the warehouse. You will see it yourself. It is not hidden. It is something clear, these banned non-sensitive materials have nothing to do with the elections,” INEC Director of Security, Shettima Ngilladar said.

“They are old materials in store that have not been evacuated. These are old stock of non-sensitive materials, like bags, envelopes, election forms which were used in the 2011 elections. “They won’t be used for the 2015 elections. Everything here is non-sensitive,” he added.

“I cannot quantify the financial loss now because they are envelopes, bags and used forms for elections. So, it is not something I can say how much now.”

Ngilladar also ruled out political sabotage saying that the fire was caused by a power surge.

“Whether it is too long or too early, there is no political motive about it. It was was caused by power surge,” he said

INEC’s Deputy Director for Electoral Logistics, Ken Ukeagu, also said that all the sensitive materials which would be used in the upcoming general elections had already been moved to the various states.

The Presidential and National Assembly elections are slated to hold on March 28 while the Governorship and State House of Assembly polls will hold on April 11.