There was panic at the new terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja on Saturday when the in-built fire detection alarm in the terminal allegedly sprayed its powder.

The incident happened at the equipment room of the terminal, it was learnt.

Sources at the terminal said the automatic alarm which was installed in the terminal disrupted activities at the terminal while the airport officials curtailed the incident.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) however allayed fears of passengers and airport users, saying it was nothing to worry about.

FAAN, in a statement, confirmed that automatic fire alarm was a minor incident which occurred at the equipment room of the new terminal.

In a statement by the General Manager, Public Affairs, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, the authority said the incident was “swiftly curtailed” by the in-built fire detection and protection system at the new terminal that triggered automatically.

It explained that the building was designed and built with the protection system.

“The system comes up when it senses high ambient temperatures and sprays fire extinguishing agent. The residue of powder sprayed by the system was seen in the cloud, there was no fire at all”, the statement said.

The Authority reassured passengers and the general public that “there is no cause for panic, as the incident has been put under control and our firemen are clearing the remnant of powder after which operations will resume.”

•Sourced from a Daily Trust report