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NAMNAI, Taraba State – A disaster was narrowly averted on Wednesday when classrooms at Government Secondary School, Namnai, dramatically collapsed during a fierce rainstorm. The terrifying incident unfolded around 6 p.m. in Gassol Local Government Area. Critically, final-year students were inside, writing their West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) when the classroom collapse occurred.
Powerful winds and torrential rain battered the already weakened school structures, causing them to give way suddenly. This forced hundreds of students, exam officials, and members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to flee for their lives in panic. Alhaji DanAzumi Lauris, a Namnai resident, confirmed the frightening event by phone. “It was the second set that got caught when the rain started. The classrooms collapsed just minutes after the exam began,” Lauris recounted.
Students Trapped, Frantic Rescue in Collapsed Buildings
As the buildings crumbled into piles of debris, several students and staff members found themselves trapped. This sparked a desperate, frantic rescue effort by local residents who immediately rushed to the school grounds. Many students emerged with injuries that ranged from bone fractures to painful bruises. Teachers, examination supervisors, and corps members also suffered physical trauma in the chaos.
Eyewitnesses described the scene as one of utter chaos and distress. Injured victims could be heard screaming for help from beneath the rubble. “The situation was terrifying—some students were crying and bleeding, others couldn’t move,” shared a local volunteer who joined the rescue. This Taraba classroom collapse created a scene of fear and urgency.
Emergency Care and Calls for Safer Schools
The injured were swiftly transported to a nearby primary healthcare centre. There, medical personnel worked quickly to provide emergency treatment. Thankfully, no fatalities were reported from the incident. However, the collapse starkly highlighted the dangerously deteriorating condition of school infrastructure in the region. The powerful windstorm also damaged several homes in the surrounding area, leaving parts of Namnai in disrepair.
Residents are now urgently calling for government intervention. “We need urgent government intervention before lives are lost next time,” pleaded Alhaji Lauris. His sentiment was echoed by many others who are demanding structural audits and the complete reconstruction of public buildings across Taraba State following this shocking classroom collapse.
By Abdullah Korede
