At least one female student lost her life, and five others sustained injuries when a classroom wall collapsed at Government Girls Senior Secondary School in Potiskum, Yobe State, on Thursday.
According to multiple sources, the tragic incident occurred around 12:30 p.m. while students were attending lessons. Witnesses said that no teacher was present in the affected classroom at the time of the collapse.
A source who spoke to Daily Trust said, “This unfortunate incident happened around 12:30 p.m. when most of the students in the school were taking lessons. There was no teacher in the affected classroom when it occurred. One girl from Fika Local Government has been confirmed dead, while others sustained injuries. Some people are saying only five students were injured and are receiving medical attention in the hospital.”
Following the incident, the body of the deceased student was released to her family for burial. Meanwhile, the injured students—Fatima Bala Adamu, Fatima Abba Idris, Hafsat Ahmed, Fatima Ibrahim, and Hafsat Abubakar Maina—were rushed to the hospital. Among them, Fatima Bala Adamu remains unconscious, while the others are responding to treatment.
Dr. Bukar Aji Bukar, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, addressed the media, confirming that the collapsed structure housed two classrooms, each with about 25 students.
“Actually, what happened was that a block of classrooms, which contained two classrooms, came down the corridors of the classroom, and unfortunately, five of our students were affected. One of them gave up (died) along the line, and four of them are in good condition, according to the medical doctor who was in the hospital. We visited them, and actually, they were being traumatized,” he stated.
Dr. Bukar added that officials are awaiting a full report from the school. The Ministry of Housing has been tasked with investigating the cause of the collapse and implementing measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
