The management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has condemned attacks on its corporate headquarters at Marina, and Tincan Isand Port in Apapa, Lagos.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by Jatto Adams, general manager, corporate and strategic communications at NPA, on Sunday.
The NPA corporate headquarters was set ablaze on October 21, 2020, by mobs who invaded the premises and chased out the workers before carrying out the arson attack.
According to the statement, the mobs, which were over 300, gained access into the NPA headquarters at 8:42 am with daggers, sticks and cutlasses and set a wing of the office building on fire.
It said, some soldiers were later deployed to the headquarters to disperse the mobs and reclaim possession of the premises, following which the authority’s firemen were able to gain access into the building and put out the fire.
The statement also disclosed that after an assessment of the extent of damage, it was discovered that many offices were vandalised, while computers, printers, water dispensers and other electronic devices were looted.
“A total of 27 vehicles, including cars, utility vehicles, pick up vans and staff buses were set on fire; while 33 other vehicles, 22 of which belong to members of staff were vandalised. A Toyota Prado SUV, a Bajaj motorcycle and one Hilux patrol van were also stolen from the premises,” the statement read.
It further said that no life was lost and that the NPA is comprehensively insured as insurers are currently undergoing an assessment of the damages.
“The Management of the authority is particularly grateful that no life was lost in this sad incident. This is in spite of the fact that some members of staff who were on critical duties were in the building at the time of the attack.”
Also in the statement, the Tincan Island Port attack commenced at 9:45 am on October 20, 2020, where the mobs made an attempt to forcefully gain access into the port, attacked the administrative building and set ablaze a truck which was evacuating cargo.
“It took the combined effort of officers of the port authority police, the police mobile force and the Nigerian Customs Service to repel the attack.”
NPA appreciated the Nigerian army and its firemen for their intervention and also assured the public that operations of the authority has continued despite the arson attack at its headquarters.
“The authority recognises the gallantry of men of the Nigerian Armed Forces and our firemen whose intervention restored normalcy.
“All stakeholders and the general public are hereby assured that the situation has not affected operations of the authority in anyway as we have continued to render our services unhindered.”
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