A fire engulfed a block of classrooms at Limawa Day Secondary School, Minna, Niger State, on Thursday evening, with suspected hemp smokers believed to be responsible for the blaze.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing a group of young boys who often gathered in the school premises to smoke. Ibrahim Mohammed, a witness, explained how the fire started.
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“These boys always come here to smoke weed, and with this harmattan season, things catch fire easily. Yesterday, they dropped a burning butt in one of the classrooms, which eventually ignited the fire,” he said.
He further recalled a recent incident where he and his colleagues avoided confrontation with the same group during a school program. “This fire outbreak must have been caused by their reckless actions,” Mohammed added.
The school principal, Datti Dauda, confirmed the incident and recounted how he was alerted. “I received a call from our neighbour, the headmaster, who told me that the school was on fire. I immediately contacted the fire service, and they responded promptly to extinguish the flames,” he said.
Dauda ruled out electrical faults as the cause, citing the lack of electrical connections in the affected area. “My suspicion is that the fire may have been caused by some of the neighbours or intruders, as the school premises are encroached upon,” he stated. He estimated the damage to be over N1.5 million.
Firefighters from the Niger State Federal Fire Service responded swiftly to contain the flames. A senior fire service official commended the quick action of his team. “It took us less than five minutes to arrive at the scene and put out the fire,” he noted.
Authorities have urged residents to exercise caution during the harmattan season to prevent similar incidents.
