Posted by By TONY OSAUZO, Benin. on
Three persons have been burnt to death in a factory inferno, which caused extensive damage to the ultra modern plant of the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), located at Eyaen, near Benin.
•As Edo tribunal nullifies another PDP Rep seat
Three persons have been burnt to death in a factory inferno, which caused extensive damage to the ultra modern plant of the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), located at Eyaen, near Benin.
Four other persons, who received various degrees of burns, have been taken to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), where they are receiving medical attention.
The company's Head of External Affairs, Mrs. Adeyanju Olomola, who read out a statement to journalists yesterday, explained that the fire broke out at the Coca Cola plant at about 2pm on Tuesday, adding that soon after, the Edo Fire Service was contacted and the fire was promptly contained.
'The NBC is deeply saddened by this unfortunate incident," Mrs. Olomola said, even as she disclosed that management of the company had contacted families of the victims.
She said the company was providing necessary support to the families of the affected victims 'in this trying period," saying that NBC had already condoled with the deceased families.
The company, he said, has decided to close down production operations at the plant till further notice to allow for investigations.
Daily Sun gathered that production operations were commissioned at the plant during the first term of the Obasanjo administration.
In another development, the Edo State 2nd election petition tribunal yesterday nullified the election of Hon. Abbas Braimoh, representing Etsako Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives.
The tribunal headed by Justice Beatrice Iliya, however, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a re-run of the election in the constituency in all the polling units within three months.
Yesterday's annulment brings to three the number of Federal seats, which had been nullified and re-run ordered, while one seat was outrightly declared in favour of the Action Congress.
Although, the petitioner, Mr. Abubakar Momoh of the AC scored 19,646 votes as against Abbas Braimoh, who polled 16,694 votes, the tribunal held that since the petitioner pleaded that that there was no election, he could not be declared the winner of the election.