By Anifowoshe Oladipupo
Dozens of students writing the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) at Government Secondary School, Namnai, in Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State, narrowly escaped death on Wednesday evening when their classroom structures collapsed during a downpour accompanied by a windstorm.
The students, along with teachers, corps members, and external supervisors, were reportedly trapped under the collapsed buildings and had to be rescued by local residents who responded swiftly to the emergency.
Several male and female students sustained varying degrees of injuries, with some reportedly suffering fractures.
The injured victims are currently receiving treatment at a nearby Primary Healthcare Centre in the town.
A resident, Alhaji DanAzumi Lauris, said the incident occurred around 6 p.m., shortly after the second batch of students had begun their examination.
“It was the second batch of students still writing their exams that got trapped. The first set had already finished and left.
The rain came suddenly with strong winds, and the old classroom structures couldn’t withstand it,” he said.
He added that the windstorm not only brought down the school buildings but also destroyed several homes in the community.
In a related development, students in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, were also affected by Wednesday’s heavy rainfall.
Some candidates were reportedly forced to remain at their exam centres until after 1 a.m., as the torrential downpour made it impossible to return home earlier.
There was also a reported delay in the arrival of the WAEC paper for the day, which caused examinations in some centres to commence as late as 8 p.m.
Efforts to contact the Commissioner for Basic Education, Dr. Augustina Godwin, were unsuccessful, as her phone line was not reachable at the time of filing this report.
