A fire outbreak on Wednesday disrupted proceedings at the Senate wing of the National Assembly Complex in Abuja and sent lawmakers, staff and guests running for the exits before the situation was brought under control.
The blaze broke out in Senate Hearing Room 107 just after the Senate Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), chaired by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, finished screening Dr. Zainab Marwa for a seat representing the North‑East on the commission’s board.
Witnesses said smoke suddenly poured into the room from an attached kitchen, creating confusion and a bit of panic. Senators, staff and visitors scrambled out quickly — so quickly that the sitting could not be formally adjourned at the usual pace.
Officials later contained the incident, but for a while it was a chaotic scene in a usually staid part of the National Assembly.
