Fire breaks out in National Assembly

Fire broke out Thursday afternoon on the second floor of the National Assembly annex building.

The fire started in the Legal and Accounts Departments of the National Assembly Service Commission.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the FCT Fire Service deployed two fire engines to bring the fire under control before it could spread to other offices.

Panic-stricken staffers, who had vacated the building, gathered some distance away to discuss the incident.

The Director of FCT Fire Service, Sani Saidu, who confirmed the incident, told journalists that the fire incident was as a result of power fluctuation.

He said the situation had been brought under control and no damage was done

"It was caused by electrical fault as a result of power fluctuation. It was brought under control.

"No damage was done.''

NAN reports that there was a similar fire incident at the National Assembly Annex last year on the ground floor which was also said to have been caused by an electrical fault. The National Assembly is currently on a one week recess.

Courtesy NAN

Breaking News: PDP Convention: President Jonathan suffers political disgrace

The North-East zone of the PDP rejects the President's choice of national chairman.

President Goodluck Jonathan was served a huge dose of political humiliation today as governors from the North-East Political zone conspired to reject his anointed candidate for the national chairmanship of the governing Peoples Democratic Party.

At the PDP zonal congress in Bauchi, which ended a while ago, Mr. Jonathan's candidate for the position, Bamanga Tukur was defeated by a far younger and less popular Musa Babayo, who was the immediate acting national secretary of the party.

Mr. Babayo scored 14 delegate votes to Mr. Tukur's two.

via premiumtimes

Security Task Force's helicopter crashes in Jos

The helicopter belonging to the Special Task Force, the multiagency team in charge of security in Plateau State has crashed in Jos, the state capital.

Multiple sources say the helicopter crashed on a house around Rukuba road behind Jos satellite market.

 A police deputy inspector general of police, John Haruna, his orderly and the pilot.

The incident occurred at approximately 12:15pm on Wednesday. Eye witnesses say the low-flying chopper plane crashed in the vicinity of  a satellite market and a Government Secondary School along Rukuba Road in the Kabong area of Jos. This latest crash adds to the growing number of aircraft accidents in Nigeria due to continued use of faulty and poorly maintained equipment.

Casualty figure is yet to be ascertained but we learnt that the pilot and four officers on board did not survive the crash.

The National Emergency Agency has confirmed the incident and has promised to provide details later.