Suspected herdsmen yesterday burnt down the National Youth Development Center in Mgbakwu, Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The office of the centre’s principal was affected in the inferno.
The principal, Mrs. Grace Ogbuji, said she knew about the incident through a distress call.
According to her, the caller alleged that herdsmen grazing their cattle at the centre started the fire.
“She told me precisely that the fire was ignited by Fulani herdsmen. The three-bedroom flat in the centre was affected,” she said.
Mrs. Ogbuji, who regretted that the centre had been under-utilised, appealed to the Federal and state governments to come to their rescue by rebuilding the affected structures.
“Since the centre is located in Anambra State, the government should liaise with the Federal Government to ensure the centre is used for the purpose it was built for,” she added.
An eyewitness, Chukwuma Nnenna, lamented that the property lost to the inferno was much because of the time the incident happened.
His words: “The incident took us unawares because it occurred at an odd hour when it was almost difficult to put out the fire.
“If the government had done the needful, this incident would not have happened. If the centre were functional, it would not have been engulfed by fire.”