• Information has emerged that the Abuja private residence of Mariya Mahmoud, the minister of state for FCT, has been razed down by fire
• The fire incident occurred on Sunday, February 25, as emergency response was reportedly slow to arrive
• Legit.ng reports that an aide to the minister confirmed the incident, stating that the cause of the fire outbreak was being investigated

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering governance and public journalism.

FCT, Abuja - There was a major fire outbreak at the Abuja private residence of Mariya Mahmoud, the minister of state for the federal capital territory (FCT), on Sunday, February 25.

As reported by Daily Trust, the outbreak started at the residence which is in the highbrow area of Asokoro, Abuja.

Firefighters reportedly failed to respond to the incident early enough, worsening the situation.

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Her media aide, Austine Elemue, confirmed the incident but did not go into details.

According to him, the cause of the fire outbreak was being investigated.

Vanguard newspaper also noted the unfortunate incident.

FCT Fire Service reacts

Reacting to the fire incident, Amiola Adebayo, the acting director of the FCT Fire Service, stated that the first floor of the building was completely razed by the fire.

Adebayo said:

“On reaching there, we saw that the first floor, the upper floor was completely engulfed in fire.

"So what we could do is just to prevent the fire from spreading to the ground floor, and the adjacent structures. No lives lost."

Fire incidents in Nigeria in 2024

In 2024 so far, several fire incidents have been recorded, including the Panteka market fire in Rigasa, Kaduna, on January 17, which destroyed the timber section of the market as confirmed by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

Other incidents involved a building fire at Tudun Wada Quarters in Kano state, causing seven casualties from smoke inhalation, and another at Horo Eastern by-pass depot resulting in one fatality.

There have also been fires in the Bodija area of Ibadan on January 16, the IC World Emporia blaze in Gwarimpa, in the FCT on January 17, and the Sobi Hospital outbreak in Ilorin, Kwara state, on January 2.

More to read about Mariya Mahmoud:

Ex-PDP chairman’s wife dies in fire outbreak

In a piece of related news, Legit.ng reported that the residence of the late chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom state, Obong Udo Ekpenyong, was consumed by fire.

The incident which happened on the eve of Christmas in the Ukanafun local government area (LGA) of the state, on Sunday, December 24, 2023, also claimed the lives of the late chairman's wife, Mrs Elizabeth Udo Ekpenyong, and her sister, Ofonime Frank.

Source: Legit.ng