President Bola Tinubu has condoled with families and guardians who lost loved ones in a fire outbreak that stretched into an Islamic school in Kaura Namoda, Zamfara State, on Wednesday night.
“Tinubu commiserates with the state government and owners of the school and prays for the quick recovery of those receiving medical attention.
“The President enjoins all public and private schools to prioritise children’s safety and security at all times and directs regulatory authorities in the education sector to ensure compliance with safety standards,” read a statement by Tinubu’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga.
The Zamfara Fire Service had confirmed that 17 Aljmajiri pupils died in the fire incident while 16 others were injured.
The Executive Secretary of the State Fire Service Board, Bello Sani, explained that the fire was caused by burning corn stalks, which spread and engulfed the shelter where the pupils were sleeping.
Sani stated that the fire occurred at the Almajiri School of Mallam Ghali inside the study hall.
According to him, delayed reporting to firefighters worsened the casualties.
“We have begun an investigation into the root cause to implement measures that will prevent future occurrences,” he said.
Malam Aliyu Khalifa, a teacher in charge of the pupils, told journalists that the fire initially started around midnight but was put out.
However, by 2:00 a.m., the fire reignited. “I suddenly heard shouts of ‘fire, fire!’ and rushed outside to find about 30 pupils struggling to escape,” he recalled tearfully.
There were about 100 pupils in the building. Rescuers believed they had evacuated everyone, only to later discover some victims’ burnt remains inside the house.
Efforts to control the fire were hindered by a malfunctioning firefighting truck, delaying the Zamfara State Fire Service’s response.
Despite this, local volunteers and police officers worked together to contain the blaze and rescue some of the affected pupils.
Tinubu Mourns 17 Pupils Killed In Zamfara Islamic School Fire is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
Source: The Whistler
