A school in north-central Nigeria collapsed during morning classes on Friday, trapping around 154 students and prompting a frantic search through the rubble. Authorities reported 22 students dead.
The two-story Saints Academy College in Plateau state’s Busa Buji community caved in shortly after students, many aged 15 or younger, arrived for classes.
Plateau police spokesperson Alfred Alabo confirmed that 132 students were rescued and are receiving treatment for injuries in various hospitals. Initial local media reports had stated at least 12 fatalities.
Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency deployed rescue and health workers, along with security forces, to the scene immediately after the collapse to search for trapped students.
To ensure prompt medical care, Plateau’s commissioner for information, Musa Ashoms, stated that hospitals were instructed to prioritize treatment without requiring documentation or payment.
The state government attributed the tragedy to the school’s “weak structure and location near a riverbank” and urged schools with similar issues to close down.
Dozens of villagers gathered near the school, some weeping and others offering assistance, as excavators combed through the debris. One woman was seen wailing and trying to approach the rubble as others held her back.
Building collapses are increasingly common in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, with over a dozen incidents recorded in the past two years. Authorities often blame these disasters on poor enforcement of building safety regulations and inadequate maintenance.
