From Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki
Fire has gutted a Magistrates Court, known as Magistrate Court 1, in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
Sources from the court told newsmen that the incident occurred last Thursday, at midnight.
The inferno razed the Magistrate’s Court 1 completely with exhibits and other vital documents burnt to ashes. Properties of law offenders confiscated by the court, which were parked inside the court, were also burnt by the fire.
Chief Registrar of the State High Court, Nnenna Onuoha, who confirmed the incident, said the estimate of what was destroyed by the fire was about N40 million.
“In the early hours of June 3, 2023, we got calls from our people living at the magistrate quarters that our court had been gutted by fire. We rushed to the court and saw that the court was truly razed by fire; we started asking what could be the cause of the incident. They told us that the fire was from the transformer.
“Rescuers called Ebonyi State Fire Service and they came and helped us put out the fire. The building was completely gutted by fire. Rough estimate of the property is about N40 million. Most of the exhibits in the court were gutted by fire,” she said.