A fire outbreak at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation in Abuja on Monday morning caused severe traffic congestion around the Federal Secretariat, leaving many commuters stranded and forcing several to continue their journeys on foot.
The blaze reportedly started around 8:00 a.m., prompting emergency responders to rush to the scene as thick, dark smoke rose from an upper floor of the multi-storey building.
Videos shared on social media showed heavy smoke billowing from a section of the complex, believed to be Section C of the building located within the Federal Secretariat.
As firefighters worked to contain the fire, security personnel redirected vehicles away from the area, leading to heavy gridlock around the Head of Service office and nearby roads within the Secretariat.
The disruption meant that many motorists could not access their usual routes, while some passengers were forced to get down from vehicles and walk to their destinations due to the traffic buildup and road diversions.
An official of the Federal Road Safety Corps said the congestion was directly linked to the emergency response at the scene.
“is a result of the fire incident at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service. We are managing the situation,” the officer said.
Staff members and visitors were seen moving away from the building as emergency teams attempted to bring the situation under control.
The media department of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation confirmed the incident, explaining that the fire was restricted to Section C of the building.
A fire service official also confirmed that firefighters were quickly dispatched after the emergency call was received.
“Yes, we received the call of a fire outbreak at the Head of the Civil Service building in Abuja this morning and immediately deployed our personnel. They are currently working there,” the official said in a telephone conversation.
As of the time of the report, authorities had not established the cause of the fire. Officials said investigations would begin once the situation had been fully contained.
