The Federal Fire Service has assured Nigerians that there is no cause for alarm following a fire outbreak at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation building in Abuja on Monday morning.
The incident reportedly occurred in Section C of the building located within the Federal Secretariat Complex.
In a statement issued on Monday, the National Public Relations Officer of the service, P. O. Abraham, confirmed that firefighters responded promptly and successfully brought the situation under control.
“The Federal Fire Service has responded to a fire incident at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation building in Abuja. The situation has been brought under control by firefighters.
“The Service assures Nigerians that there is no cause for alarm,” the statement read.
The statement was signed by Abraham, who also serves as Head of Corporate Services at the agency.
Earlier, eyewitness footage circulating on social media showed thick plumes of dark smoke rising from an upper floor of the multi-storey government building.
The video, reportedly recorded around 8:00 a.m., showed dense black smoke billowing from one wing of the structure, suggesting that the fire was concentrated in a specific section of the building.
Staff working within the complex were seen evacuating the area as emergency responders were alerted to contain the situation.
When contacted, the media department of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation confirmed the incident, noting that the fire outbreak was limited to Section C of the building and that emergency officials had already been deployed to the scene.
As of the time of filing this report, the exact cause of the fire had yet to be determined.
Authorities stated that the investigations would commence once the situation has been fully stabilised.