A mysterious fire, on Tuesday
evening, gutted the Anthony Village branch of Zenith Bank, causing fear and
panic among staff.
According to sources at the bank, the fire started around
5.00p.m., shortly after business hours.
The explosion followed a bang that reportedly jolted the bank
staff and some late customers still tidying up transactions.
Some of the members of staff reportedly used fire extinguishers
to stop the fire from raging beyond control. The intervention of firefighters
was said to have prevented the building from being totally damaged.
Police officers from Onipanu, Pedro and Alade stations were also
promptly drafted to the bank to render support.
It was however gathered that the fire destroyed some valuables
and equipment like desktops, chairs, tables and office documents, while the
window frames and louvres were also shattered.
In spite of the commotion that ensued following the incident,
there was no report of injury to anyone.
A bank staff, who requested anonymity, said the general
suspicion was that the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction.
“Nobody died but with the level of insecurity in the country,
some of the customers thought it was a bomb blast and they ran in confusion,
but nobody was injured," the source added.
"Until the police conduct an investigation, we will then
know the details of what happened.”
Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the State Police
Command, Ngozi Braide, were not successful and she also failed to reply the
text message sent to her phone.
This incident is coming barely a day after over one thousand
members of staff of the bank were abruptly relieved of their jobs, following
recent mass retrenchment hitting the country's banking sector.