Fire Breaks Out in National Assembly; Quick Action Prevents Major Disaster

* Blaze starts in Senate committee room shortly after NDDC board screening

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja 

A fire broke out on Wednesday in a part of the Senate wing of the National Assembly complex in Abuja, disrupting proceedings and raising safety concerns at the legislative headquarters before it was quickly contained by emergency responders.

The incident happened shortly after the Senate Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) finished screening Zainab Marwa for the position of North‑East representative on the commission’s board.

The blaze reportedly began in the kitchen area attached to Hearing Room 107, where the screening had taken place.

Sources inside the National Assembly said the fire was likely caused by the explosion of a microwave that had been left unattended in the kitchen compartment of the committee room.

Witnesses said smoke rose from the area, prompting lawmakers, legislative staff and visitors nearby to evacuate to safer locations while containment efforts were immediately launched.

The rapid response prevented the fire from spreading to adjacent offices and other parts of the sprawling National Assembly complex.

No casualties were reported, and officials confirmed that no sensitive documents, equipment or other valuable property were damaged.

Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, chairman of the Senate Committee on the NDDC, and Senator Salihu Mustapha, who represents Kwara Central Senatorial District, stayed at the scene throughout the emergency response and coordinated the efforts that brought the situation under control.

The fire was eventually extinguished, restoring calm to the area and averting a potentially more serious incident within the legislative complex.

The management of the nation’s apex legislative institution had not yet issued an official statement on the matter at the time this report was filed.