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A newly constructed block at St Winifred’s Girls’ Secondary School, Ihugh in Vandeikya local government area of Benue state has reportedly been gutted by fire in the early hours of Sunday.
Sources in the community said the affected building was recently constructed by the host community as compensation, following an earlier fire incident at the school.
The cause of the latest outbreak was yet to be ascertained as at the time of filing this report, while no casualties had been reported.
The incident has raised fresh concerns over the recurring fire outbreaks at the school and the safety of its facilities.
The latest development comes days after a school in Gboko Local Government Area was reportedly destroyed by fire, prompting concerns among residents over the safety of educational institutions in the state.
Some community members, including Terese Atser and Fanen Iorhemba, expressed concern over the repeated incidents, and called for a thorough investigation to establish the frequent causes of fire incidents in the school in order to prevent further occurrences.
They also suggested that the Catholic Church, which owns the school, should consider measures to strengthen security and protect its facilities, including reviewing the school’s continued location in the community if necessary.
The further urged the security agencies in the area and the school authority to investigate the latest incident, determine its cause and take measures to safeguard students, staff and school property against future outbreaks.
Efforts to reach the school principal, Rev. Fr. Isaac Terungwa Shalegh, to ascertain the cause of the fire outbreak were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
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