Fire guts Kano school, kills seven pupils

Seven pupils of Government Girls’ Secondary School, Jogana in Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano State, have been killed after one of the school hostels went up in flames.

It was learnt that 25 others sustained varying degrees of injuries in the incident which happened around 8pm on Sunday and had been admitted to hospitals in the state for treatment.

However, the cause of the fire had yet to be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.

The state Deputy Governor, Prof. Hafiz Abubakar, who visited the scene of the incident, confirmed the number of casualties to journalists.

He sympathised with the families of the victims and promised that the government would offset the medical bills incurred by the injured.

Abubakar directed that the school should be closed immediately to assuage the trauma caused by the disaster and to honour the deceased.

He said, “Seven pupils were lost to the fire incident, while 25 others suffered varying degree of injuries. A technical committee will be set up soon to identify the immediate and remote causes of the fire, as well as advise the government on the best modality to repair the hostel. The school should be closed immediately to enable the students and the parents to manage the trauma of this tragic incident.”

Abubakar, who also visited the victims at the hospitals, commended residents of the community where the school is located for their assistance in putting out the inferno.

He particularly acknowledged the contributions of the companies in the area for providing firefighting equipment to extinguish the fire.

A House of Assembly member, representing Gezawa, Alhaji Isyaku Ali Danja, and the Secretary of Kano State Senior Secondary School Management Board, Alhaji Usaini Ganduje, visited the scene of the incident.

Fire guts Kano school, kills seven pupils