Fire has razed down a block of two female hostels at the Federal Government College, Keffi, Nasarawa State. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the fire, which started around 7.45 pm on Sunday and raged on to Monday morning, reduced the entire structure to ashes. “The students were in the dining hall when the fire started. Books and properties of the students were all razed down, nothing was removed,” a senior staff of the school told NAN, craving anonymity.
The source, however, said that no one was killed. “One student, who did not go to the dining hall and was sleeping in one of the hostels, was almost affected. “Immediately she sensed the smoke, she jumped through the window and sustained some slight injuries. No one else was affected,” the staff told NAN. The source described the incident as “shocking and devastating”, saying that it was the first in the history of the 18-year-old school. A NAN correspondent, who visited the school on Monday, saw smoke still billowing from the rubble of the burnt hostels, while fear-stricken staff and students watched from a distance. Teachers, staff and prefects were seen trying to pacify and calm the students, especially the distraught girls that lost everything in the inferno.
A source told NAN that the incident was particularly devastating to the unity school because first term examinations were expected to have started on Monday. “The first term examination was scheduled to start today, but with this development, no one is sure of what to do next. We shall wait for further directives from the Federal Ministry of Education,” he said. Efforts to contact the Acting Principal, Alhaji Babatundet Usuma, were not successful as he was said to have traveled to Kano for the annual meeting of Principals of unity secondary schools, while calls to his line kept ringing out. Mr Gideon Gutap, Vice Principal (Academic 2), however, told NAN, via a telephone text message, that the school was yet to take a decision on the next like of action.
“Parents will be communicated in due course,” Gutap stated. He said that no one was hurt, adding that a meeting was ongoing to consider the next line of action. NAN gathered that officials of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) were invited for the emergency meeting chaired by Mr Ezekiel, Vice Principal (Academy 1).
(NAN)
