The Kogi State House of Assembly was gutted by fire in the early hours of Monday, said the security guards manning the parliament complex.

Security personnel watching over the complex told the speaker of the house, who visited the scene, “all we saw was heavy smoke coming out of the complex this morning.”

“By the time we rushed to see what exactly was the problem, the entire assembly was already on fire with everything inside burnt down,” the guards said. “We then raised the alarm as we shouted for help even though the complex is in a lonely place with neighbours far away”.

The guards said the cause of the fire was unknown.

The area most affected by the fire is the assembly gallery, which was completely burnt to ashes.

The speaker, Mathew Kolawole, who spoke to journalists at the assembly complex, expressed shock over the incident.

Mr Kolawale described the incident as “very unfortunate.”

“I’m assuring you that this attack on our complex will not stop the house from performing its duty. We shall dig into its root until the truth is revealed,” he said.

The speaker, however, noted that the house would allow security agencies to investigate the fire to ascertain the cause and level of damage.

(NAN)