A tragic incident occurred on Thursday at the Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Potiskum, Yobe State, when a classroom wall collapsed, resulting in the death of one female student and injure five others.
Multiple sources reported that the collapse happened around 12:30 p.m. while students were in class. It was gathered that there was no teacher present in the affected classroom at the time of the incident.
“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 reports indicate that only five students were injured and are currently receiving medical attention,” as reported by Daily Trust.
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The body of the deceased student has been released to her family for burial. Meanwhile, the injured students—Fatima Bala Adamu (who remains unconscious), Fatima Abba Idris, Hafsat Ahmed, Fatima Ibrahim, and Hafsat Abubakar Maina—are currently receiving treatment, with four of them responding well, according to medical reports.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Dr. Bukar Aji Bukar, provided further clarification during a press briefing.
“There were about 50 students in both classes, with approximately 25 students in each classroom. The affected students are SS2 students,” Dr. Bukar stated.
He explained that the collapse involved a block of classrooms, which contained two separate classrooms. “A block of classrooms collapsed, bringing down the corridor section, which unfortunately affected five students.”
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“One of them passed away along the line, and four others are in stable condition, according to the medical doctor attending to them. We visited the hospital, and they are understandably traumatized.”
Dr. Bukar further stated that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the collapse. “We are expecting a full report from the school so that we can immediately inform the professional ministry responsible for building infrastructure—the Ministry of Housing.
They will assess the situation and take necessary measures to prevent such incidents in the future.”
Some parents have attributed the incident to negligence on the part of the government and the school management, accusing them of failing to maintain the school’s infrastructure.