By BANNERNEWS Reporter
Fire has completely destroyed the St. Mary’s Catholic Cathedral in Wukari, Taraba State, in an incident that broke out late Wednesday night.
The Director of Communications for the Catholic Diocese of Wukari, Rev. Fr. John Laike, confirmed the incident, saying the cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
Laike described the development as a “major setback” for the diocese, noting that church authorities and members were still in shock over the devastating incident.
According to him, the fire started around the same time electricity supply was restored to the area, although investigators have yet to establish whether the power supply had any connection with the outbreak.
He added that officials were still assessing the extent of the damage caused by the inferno.
Residents and church members reportedly watched helplessly as the fire engulfed the entire cathedral structure, a situation worsened by the absence of functional fire service vehicles in Wukari.
The incident comes barely a month after another major fire destroyed the Wukari Local Government Secretariat.
Similarly, several fire outbreaks were recorded earlier this year in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, where shops, houses and parts of a market were destroyed in separate incidents in January, February and March. However, no lives were lost in those incidents.
Concerned by the growing cases of fire outbreaks across the state, Governor Agbu Kefas recently constituted a committee to investigate the causes and recommend measures to prevent further incidents in Jalingo and other towns in Taraba.
Fire Destroys Catholic Cathedral in Taraba
