A devastating incident occurred in the Jos North district of Plateau State, Nigeria, on Friday, July 12, 2024. A two-story school building at Saint Academy collapsed, tragically claiming the lives of 22 students. At the time of the collapse, 154 students were inside the building, taking exams.
Rescue operations began right away, with machinery and volunteers working non-stop in an attempt to free the trapped students. Plateau police spokesperson Alfred Alabo confirmed that 132 students were rescued and treated at various medical facilities. However, 22 students tragically lost their lives.
One of the injured students, Wulliya Ibrahim, shared the horrifying experience with the media. “I entered the class not more than five minutes when I heard a sound, and the next thing, I found myself here,” he said. He further mentioned that there were many students in the class writing their exams at the time of the incident.
The Plateau state government has blamed the collapse on the building’s weak structure and its proximity to a riverbank. Heavy rainfall in the days leading up to the collapse may have worsened the building’s structural issues. The state government has urged schools with similar structural vulnerabilities to immediately cease operations to avoid similar incidents.
Chika Obioha, a local resident who witnessed the chaotic rescue efforts, described the scene. “Everyone is helping to see if we can rescue more people,” Obioha said. He also reported seeing several bodies and numerous injured students being retrieved from the debris.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is leading the search and rescue operations, collaborating with security forces and health workers. In a statement, NEMA highlighted the urgency of the situation, assuring that all efforts are being made to find and treat all trapped individuals.
The government has directed hospitals to prioritize treatment without the necessity of documentation or payment, ensuring all injured students receive immediate medical attention.
UNICEF Nigeria representative Cristian Munduate expressed her sorrow over the incident on social media. “Devastated by the loss of young lives at Saint Academy,” she wrote. “Children full of dreams were writing exams when the school building collapsed. Deepest condolences to families affected.”
This incident underscores the continuing problem of building collapses in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa. The causes of these collapses are often linked to poor enforcement of building standards, negligence, the use of substandard materials, and corruption. In recent years, several major building collapses have resulted in significant loss of life.
In 2021, a high-rise building under construction in the Ikoyi district of Lagos collapsed, resulting in at least 45 fatalities. The following year, a three-story building in the Ebute-Metta area of Lagos also collapsed, killing 10 people. According to a researcher from a South African university studying construction disasters, at least 152 buildings have collapsed in Lagos alone since 2005.
In response to the Saint Academy collapse, the Plateau state government has pledged to conduct a thorough investigation and hold those responsible accountable. The community is left grappling with the loss of young lives and the trauma of the disaster.
