by Ranti Joseph

Breaking news doing the rounds on social media is that the Federal Secretariat, Abuja is on fire.

Reports say the fire started from the section of the complex occupied by the Federal Ministry of Education and fire fighters are battling to save the inferno from spreading to adjourning buildings.

According to witnesses, the fire began at the sixth floor of the building and is believed to have affected the seventh and eighth floors but the cause of the fire is unknown at this time, and thick smoke, billowing into the sky, has engulfed the building and surrounding ones.

Workers in the building were seen scampering for safety while a number of staff and visitors are believed to be trapped in the complex.

Reports have it that fire fighters are at the scene and are battling to put out the fire.

The firemen are however said to be scrambling for ladders to climb up to the top floors where the fire began.

Some workers at the complex said the fire equipment at the building were not functional, hampering efforts to extinguish the fire.

“All the fire extinguishers in the building have expired. That could have been used to extinguish the fire at it first started. But they didn’t work,” one official said.

Janeth J