Panic gripped the Government Secondary School in Namnai, Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State, as several students sitting for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) narrowly escaped death on Wednesday evening when parts of their examination hall collapsed amid a violent windstorm and heavy rainfall.
The tragic incident occurred around 6pm, shortly after the commencement of the evening session of the examination. Eyewitnesses said the rainstorm, which came with ferocious winds, tore through the school premises, pulling down the aged structures while dozens of students, teachers, National Youth Service Corps members, and external supervisors were inside the classrooms conducting the examination.
Multiple students sustained varying degrees of injuries, including suspected fractures to the legs and arms, and were quickly rushed to a nearby Primary Healthcare Centre within the town for urgent medical attention. The extent of injuries is yet to be fully ascertained, but no fatalities had been reported as of the time of filing this report.
A community leader and eyewitness, Alhaji DanAzumi Lauris, speaking in a telephone interview, described the moment as terrifying. According to him, “It was the second set of students that were still writing their paper when the building caved in. The first group had already completed theirs and left the premises. The rain came suddenly and with such intensity that the old, weakened buildings could not withstand the pressure.”
He added that local residents quickly mobilized and raced to the school to rescue those trapped beneath the debris. “It wasn’t just the school; the windstorm wreaked havoc across our community, destroying homes and displacing several families,” he noted.
Elsewhere in Taraba State, particularly in Jalingo, the capital, the torrential downpour also disrupted examinations in several centres. Reports from affected schools indicate that some WASSCE candidates were stranded at their exam venues until the early hours of Thursday due to the intensity of the rainfall, which made it impossible for them to return home safely.
In a separate development, there was confusion in some examination centres across the state as the day’s WAEC papers reportedly arrived late. Sources confirmed that in some locations, candidates were forced to begin the paper as late as 8pm, while others had to wait until well into the night before the examinations could commence.
Attempts to reach the Taraba State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Dr. Augustina Godwin, for comments proved unsuccessful, as her phone line remained unreachable as of the time of filing this report.
The incident has once again highlighted the deplorable state of infrastructure in many public schools across the country, with stakeholders calling on the relevant authorities to take urgent action to prevent future tragedies, especially during the rainy season. Parents, teachers, and community leaders have also urged both state and federal governments to prioritize the rehabilitation of school facilities to ensure the safety of learners and educational personnel.
