…Parents demand relocation as another hostel goes up in flames
Fear and anger have gripped Ihugh community in Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State after fire gutted another hostel at St. Winifred Girls Secondary School in the early hours of Sunday, triggering fresh calls for the relocation of the institution.
The latest incident, which reportedly marks the fourth fire outbreak at the Catholic-owned school, has heightened concerns over students’ safety, with some parents threatening to withdraw their daughters if urgent measures are not taken to prevent further occurrences.
Investigations revealed that the school, owned by the Catholic Diocese of Gboko, has recorded three fire outbreaks within the past four months.
The hostel destroyed in Sunday’s incident was reportedly renovated by community members after an earlier fire razed another hostel block.
Following the previous incident, the proprietor of the school and Bishop of Gboko Diocese, Most Rev. William Avenya, had threatened to relocate the institution. He, however, reconsidered the decision after appeals from members of the host community.
But the latest outbreak appears to have revived demands for the school’s relocation, with parents expressing fears that another incident could endanger the lives of students.
One of the parents, Paul Tikyaa, who has two children in the school, said he had decided to withdraw them.
“I have made up my mind to take my two children out of that school. One day, it will be the children that will be set ablaze. Enough is enough,” he said.
Another parent, Mrs. Dooshima Agande, appealed to Bishop Avenya to move the school to another local government area outside Vandeikya.
“This is the fourth time fire has gutted a hostel in that school. We, the parents, have now appealed to the bishop to relocate the school to another local government, not even within Vandeikya,” she said.
The repeated incidents have also raised questions about the effectiveness of previous interventions aimed at improving safety and preventing further outbreaks at the institution.
Following an earlier fire, businessman and politician, Dr. Livinus Tsar, reportedly supported efforts to restore the school’s facilities by undertaking the construction of a new hostel block, donating N20 million and installing closed-circuit television cameras across the premises.
Despite the interventions, Sunday’s incident has left residents shocked and worried about the possibility of further outbreaks.
As of the time of filing this report, the cause of the fire had not been established. No deaths were reported.
Bishop Avenya and the school authorities had yet to issue an official statement on the latest incident.
