The police investigation into the December 2019 fire at the Ministry of Fisheries and Water Resources has exonerated the then-Minister, James Gomez, and Deputy Permanent Secretary (DPS), Omar SM Gibba, from any involvement in the incident. The report states that the fire resulted from an electrical short circuit.
The fire that erupted on December 2, 2019, at the Ministry’s headquarters, was linked to the minister’s office. The police report indicates that the fire started in the office toilet, where a storage area containing old records and curtains was consumed by flames. Twelve ministry employees were interviewed as part of the investigation.
“On December 2, 2019, at 11:00 am, the Minister of Fisheries and Water Resources, James F Gomes, was in a meeting in his office with his Deputy Permanent Secretary, Omar SM Gibba, when they observed smoke emanating from the office toilet.” The investigation uncovered that the pair hurried to the toilet door and observed a fire raging in a storage area containing old record files and curtains, situated between the toilet and the Minister’s Office. The police report stated, “It is established that the priority of both the orderly and DPS was to evacuate the minister from the danger zone, following an alert signal that notified all staff of imminent danger.”
The police investigation further uncovered that the majority of the building’s occupants were unable to save any belongings because of the ferocity of the raging fire. The report also indicated that the response of the Fire Services, regardless of the subsequent backup, could not mitigate the damage, as the best part of the building was destroyed due to the intensity of the inferno.
“The investigation revealed that the entire Office of the Minister of Fisheries and Water Resources (James F Gomes) was reduced to ashes, with the following items lost: office desk, executive chair, desktop computer, printer, centre table, single executive chair, conference table and chair, refrigerators, filing cabinets, cupboard, television, and air conditioners,” the report stated.
The investigation further revealed that the Office of the Director of Water Resources (Lamin Mai Touray) was entirely destroyed by fire, resulting in the loss of several items, including executive chairs and the desk, visitors chairs, a refrigerator, printers, a desktop computer, an air conditioner, a filling cabin, D25,000.00 (twenty-five thousand dalasi) worth of atlas fuel coupons, a ferry crossing coupon valued at D1,400 (one thousand four hundred), an Access Bank savings booklet, an IFMIS computer, a telephone set, and various other belongings.
“Further investigation revealed that the office of the Principal Secretary to the Minister (Begay s Jeng) was also impacted, resulting in the destruction of the following items: two (2) computer sets, two (2) printers, four (4) files, one (1) refrigerator, one (1) photocopier, one (1) mobile phone, and one (1) electric kettle.” The investigation revealed that the office of Nyima Sambou-Jabang (Confidential Secretary to the Minister) was also impacted, with several items destroyed in the incident, including a desktop computer, furniture, a flat screen TV set, an electric kettle, a UPS, a coffee table, personal files, and both closed and current confidential files,” the report states.
“The investigation further revealed that two hundred and sixteen (216) files were destroyed in the fire, as detailed in the statement provided by the record officer.” The report indicated that numerous interconnected electrical cables were suspended from the ceiling of the store towards the toilet area, and the pipes of the Minister’s air conditioner, which traversed the minister’s toilet, were occasionally damaged by rats, leading to water leakage.
Witness revelations have also established that occasionally, the wiring within the building experienced a short circuit, resulting in damage to IT equipment and sockets.’ The expert report from NAWEC indicated that there were no distribution iircboxes for fault protection; however, the electricity meters supplying the installation were found to be intact. The report from the Fire Services indicates that an electrical short circuit may be a potential cause of the fire,” the report states.
In light of the aforementioned findings, the police report determined that the fire incident was not associated with arson.
“The evidence collected clearly indicated that the fire originated within the office boundaries of the Honourable Minister during his meeting with DPS Omar Gibba.” DPS Gibba confirmed that he was in the minister’s office when smoke and fire began in the toilet/stores, rapidly spreading towards the rooftop. The report stated, “This revelation suggests that neither the minister nor his immediate staff could be associated with the starting of the fire.”
The report indicated that testimonies from certain ministry staff, specifically Fatoumata Bah, a procurement officer, and Ebou Bah, an electrician, further confirmed the sporadic occurrences of short circuits that led to damage to IT equipment.
“An incident occurred in which a UPS exploded as a result of an electrical short circuit, as reported by Fatoumata Bah.” This may be a probable cause of fire, contingent upon the intensity of the electricity flow. The panel concluded that the fire likely originated from the area where the closed files and unused curtains were stored. Additionally, the report stated that this is the same location where the electric wires and water pipes from the minister’s two air conditioners ran through.
The report indicated that the panel obtained two expert opinions from the Fire and Rescue Services and NAWE regarding the potential cause of the fire.
“The investigation report from the Fire and Rescue Services, dated 05th October 2020, indicated that the fire was likely caused by an electrical short circuit. In contrast, the NAWEC report was unable to determine the cause of the fire but confirmed that the meters supplying electricity to the installation remained intact.” Nonetheless, the report additionally disclosed the absence of distribution boxes for fault protection. The report further indicated that to ensure the protection of standard installation requirements, the wiring scheme must include the installation of distribution boxes. Upon analysing the two reports, the panel believes that the suggestion of “electrical short circuit as the cause of the fire,” as indicated in the Fire and Rescue Service report, seems to be a plausible explanation for the fire, according to the report.
The report indicates that this proposition is further supported by the NAWEC report, which noted, among other things, the absence of distribution boxes for fault protection.
“It is advisable to use distribution boxes in all installations to ensure proper wiring fault discrimination, as indicated in the NAWEC report.” The Panel is persuaded by the suggestion that the fire occurred accidentally, without any malicious intent, but rather due to an electrical short circuit, as indicated by the two expert opinions mentioned. No evidence indicates criminal negligence or foul play on the part of the minister or, by extension, any other ministry staff. The presence of one of his DPS in the Office at the time the fire broke out absolved him of any responsibility. The report stated, “The Panel also believed that neither the minister nor the DPS present in the minister’s office at the time had any involvement or knowledge regarding the cause of the fire.”
