The Benue State House of Assembly has called on the Benue State Government (BNSG), to establish fire service centers in all Local Government Headquarters in the State. The House made the call when Member Representing Tarka State Constituency, Honourable Manger Manger, moved a motion calling on the State Government to investigate the recent Fire Disaster at Wannune in Tarka Local Government of the State during Tuesday’s Plenary presided by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Alfred Emberga, held at the Benue State House of Assembly, Makurdi.
The House, in its resolution, expressed deep sympathy with all families affected in the fire disaster at Wannune and called on the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA) to mobilize its staff to conduct a thorough investigation into the fire disaster at Wannune, with a view to identifying the cause of the incident and proffering a lasting solution to the menace.
The House resolved that, in the interim, BSEMA should provide relief materials (including foodstuff, mattresses, buckets, clothes, medical supplies, and temporary shelter) to families affected by the incident.
Earlier, the Mover of the motion, Hon. Manger Manger, noted that on Friday, January 16, 2026, a devastating fire outbreak occurred around the Lorshe Jubilee-General Hospital Wannune road, Tarka Local Government Area, resulting in the destruction of over 100 houses.
Hon. Manger further noted that Mr. Moses Anshwa Agule, the first eyewitness and victim of the inferno, narrated that the fire outbreak caught his attention while he was on his way to the market and quickly returned to put out the fire with the help of a few family members before going back to the market. He expressed surprise that the fire later spread and caused more havoc while he was in the market.
Hon. Manger informed that on Saturday, January 17, 2026, a team of volunteers under the aegis of Mbakor Rebirth, led by Hon. Solomon Mtomga Imen, conducted an on-site assessment of the affected area. The investigation revealed that the fire outbreak was unusual, with multiple sources of ignition reported at different locations.
He further informed that eyewitnesses, including Akpen Kwaghkondo, Oraduen Hundu, John Tyough, and several others, recounted that smoke and fire emerged from houses at different times without any special cause, spreading rapidly from compound to compound and affecting both landowners and tenants.
Hon. Manger expressed worry that, aside from the number of houses razed by the inferno, affected families have lost food items and other valuables worth hundreds of millions of Naira, rendering them homeless.
Seconding the motion, Member Representing Guma, Hon. Terwase Uche, sympathized with the victims, describing it as a sad moment, and called on the Benue State Government, in collaboration with SEMA, to provide palliative support to the victims.
Supporting the motion, Member Representing Gboko East, Hon. Mrs. Beckie Orpin, said this is the season when many people go out to hunt rats, and she called for the establishment of Fire Service Centres in all Local Government Headquarters to control fire outbreaks
On his part, Member representing Oju I, Hon. Emmanuel Blessed-Onah, appealed for SEMA to extend the gesture to victims affected in his constituency during a market fire inferno.
Also contributing, Member representing Makurdi South, Hon. Douglas Akya, called on the Fire Service in the state to be proactive in their duties and responsibilities.
The Speaker, Hon. Alfred Emberga, who expressed dismay over the incident, sympathized with the victims and called on BSEMA to provide palliatives to the affected persons without delay
