A school building collapse in Jos, the Plateau State capital, on Friday has left the government deeply saddened. The tragic incident at Saint Academy in the Busa Buji community resulted in 17 confirmed deaths and over 120 individuals trapped.
Building collapsed around 8:30 am while students and teachers were in their classrooms. State Commissioner for Information, Musa Ashoms, provided an update on the situation, revealing that 120 people were trapped under the rubble.
Ashoms said, “The Plateau State Government is deeply saddened by the tragic incident at Saint Academy Jos, where a building collapse resulted in casualties and injured students and teachers still being evacuated to various hospitals within Jos.”
He described the incident as an avoidable tragedy, attributing it to the school’s weak structure and unsafe location near a riverbank. He commended the efforts of NEMA, SEMA, the Red Cross, and security agencies in rescuing the trapped children and transporting them to hospitals.
Ashoms also mentioned that the government has instructed hospitals to prioritize treatment without requiring documentation or payment. He added, “The Commissioner of Health has ordered all major hospitals in Jos to attend to the victims. Approximately 120 people were trapped, with many evacuated.”
The government emphasized the importance of adhering to safety standards, making Executive Order 003 sacrosanct. Schools with similar structural issues are urged to close down, allowing the Jos Metropolitan Development Board to prevent future incidents.
The Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency, Sunday Àbdu, confirmed the death toll of 17 and described the incident as tragic. He said, “We have finished the rescue mission at least for today. We are just closing from the site. The casualty figures keep changing. In Bingham University Teaching Hospital Jos, there are 13 dead bodies and 43 people receiving medical attention. In OLA Specialist Hospital, we have over 40 receiving attention. In Plateau Specialist Hospital, we have four dead bodies with 40 people receiving treatment. We also have some casualties evacuated to the Jos University Teaching Hospital, but I don’t have the figure at the moment.”
