Fire Guts Fidelity Bank In Abeokuta
Omooba Risawe
A fire incident on Friday gutted the Fidelity Bank situated in Omida area of Abeokuta,Ogun State Capital, just as a male worker of the bank attacked journalists while taken picture of the affected bank.
The fire which according to an eyewitness occured at about 6.45am was linked to electricity power outage from the switch over section of the building.
It was further gathered that, the fire spread to the marketing department of the bank,adding that, the smoke emanating from the room attracted neighbours who raised alarm.
As a result of the ugly development, men of Ogun State Fire Services were immediately contacted,and raced to the scene,and subsequently controlled further spread of the fire.
The Divisional Police Officer of Ibara Divisional Headquarters, Abiodun Bakare led his men to the scene, to avoid any break of law, and looting by suspected hoodlums.
Similarly, the fire service on arrival move straight to the source of the fire and other affected portions to quel it before it get out of hand.
The staffers who reported to work were shocked on what they met on ground,seeing their work place on fire. Some of them voluntarily joined fire service to help in control of the fire.
At the end of the control of the fire,the bank authority refused to open for operations,as at the time when our correspondent was there. The bank management were seen turning down customers who came for transaction.
One of the customers, Josephine Akhelumile who was turned down by the management,told Premium Times,she was not aware of the incident,but came for banking transaction,but the authority told her, the bank was not ready for business operation.
Akhelumile, a National Diploma Student of Business Administration of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta,said the bank officials, did not tell him what happened,but got to know through journalists she met on ground.
Similarly, another customer, Oluwole Oluyomi also said he was not aware of the fire incident,until when he got there and was refused entry by the bank authority.
‘I just came to withdraw money, I never knew there was fire outbreak, until I got here and see people, and when the bank officials said they were not ready for any business transaction’,Oluyomi said.
Meanwhile, a male staffer of the bank launched attack on journalists, when he sighted one of them taken photograph of the affected bank, asking for delete of the already taken photograph, which was turned down by Premium Times correspondent who took the photograph.
