The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced fire incident at the Data Processing Centre (DPC) located at the commission’s office premises in Kano.
A statement Tuesday by the National Commissioner and chairman Information and Voter Education committee, Barrister Festus Okoye, stated that the incident was reported by the Kano state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Riskuwa Shehu.
According to Okoye, the fire incident which occurred Tuesday “started around 10.15am and engulfed the said DPC before it was contained by the Federal Fire Service.
The statement further read, “The staff made spirited efforts to bring the fire under control using fire extinguishers, but they were overwhelmed until the arrival of officers of the Federal Fire Service who subsequently quenched the fire.
“The physical items burnt include industrial printers used for the printing of the voter register, Laser Jet Printers, Dell and Blade Servers, Desk Top computers, laptops for training, inverters and other accessories and fittings.
“Fortunately, all the data in the Voter Register for the State, as well as all other sensitive documents of the State Office are backed up offsite and therefore safe. They will be recovered swiftly.
“We assure members of the public that this incident will not in any way affect the operations of the commission.
“Investigation into the cause of the fire incident has commenced and measures will be put in place to avert future occurrence.
“The Commission appreciates the concerns of the stakeholders about the incident.”
