Mutfwang inaugurates committee to investigate Plateau school collapse

Gov. Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau, on Monday, inaugurated an 11-man technical committee to unravel the remote and immediate causes of the building collapse at Saints Academy, Jos.

A two-storey building of Saints Academy, a primary and secondary school, located at Busa-Buji community in Jos North Local Government Area, had collapsed, trapping students, teachers and others.

The incident, which claimed 24 lives, with 132 persons sustaining injuries, occurred at about 8:30 a.m. on July 12 when the students were writing their third term examination.

Mutfwang, while inaugurating the committee in Jos, tasked it to thoroughly investigate the causes of the tragedy.

The governor, who expressed deep commitment to the safety of all the citizens of the state, urged the committee to examine the roles of all the individuals involved in the construction and maintenance of the building.

”It is imperative that we understand why this incident occurred, identify any lapses in duty and implement measures to prevent a recurrence.

”Reports indicate that around 12 other schools in the city are at the risk of collapse, and this calls for urgent action.

“We will continue to enforce necessary changes with compassion, avoiding unnecessary hardship for our people.

”However, we cannot compromise on the safety of innocent lives. The loss of 24 children is a grave reminder of the urgency of our mission,” he said.

The governor called on the public to provide any useful information toward the prevention of similar incidents in future.

Chairman of the committee, Prof. Slim Matawal, thanked the governor for entrusting them with such a critical task, assuring him of their readiness to diligently work toward preventing future building collapse in the state.

Other members of the committee are: Oke Ezema, Olusegun Olukoya, Daniel Sani, Michael Yibial, Dr Rose Daffi, Barnabas Dafiel, Williams Habakkuk and ACP Dayyabu Ahmed, while Yakubu Mallo will serve as secretary.