Fire Guts Major Electronics Complex In Kogi

A fire has razed the upper chamber of PEELINKS Electronics Limited, described as the largest electrical trading complex in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, destroying goods estimated at hundreds of millions of naira.

The incident, which occurred on Murtala Mohammed Way, marks the second time the facility has been gutted by fire in six years, following a similar outbreak in 2020 that completely razed the building.

The 2020 incident occurred at about 11 p.m. on a Friday and extended into the early hours of Saturday, leaving the complex severely damaged.

Six years later, another inferno has struck the facility, destroying everything in the complex’s upper chamber.

Eyewitnesses said the intervention of sympathisers, firefighters and security operatives helped prevent the fire from spreading to the lower chamber, which could have resulted in more devastating losses.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of PEELINKS Electronics Limited, Mr Peter Onujeme, said his staff alerted him to the incident at about 6:30 p.m.

Onujeme suspected that a sudden power surge might have triggered the fire, noting that electricity supply in the area had been unstable before the outbreak.
“We suspected that a power surge might have caused the incident, more so that electricity supply around our area had been on and off before the incident,” he said.

He said the company had yet to determine the exact value of the goods destroyed but estimated the losses at hundreds of millions of naira.

The business owner commended the Lokoja Fire Service, the Police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and youths in the state capital for their swift response to the emergency.

He said their intervention helped prevent the fire from spreading further and causing more extensive damage to the facility.

Meanwhile, the Kogi State Government has expressed sympathy with the management of PEELINKS Electronics Limited over the incident, assuring the company of its support during the difficult period.

The state’s Deputy Governor, Comrade Joel Salifu, visited the affected complex and commended security agencies and youths in Lokoja for their prompt response and efforts to salvage goods from the burning building.

Salifu said the courage, cooperation and solidarity demonstrated by the responders and residents helped reduce the impact of the disaster.