A block of classrooms at Limawa Day Secondary School in Minna, Niger State, was engulfed in flames on Thursday evening, reportedly started by suspected hemp smokers.
The fire was promptly extinguished by firefighters from the Niger State Federal Fire Service. According to eyewitnesses, a group of young boys frequently gathered on the school premises to smoke hemp.
Ibrahim Mohammed, an eyewitness, shared how the fire started:
“These boys always come here to smoke, and with the harmattan season, fires can start easily. Yesterday, they dropped a burning butt in one of the classrooms, which led to the fire.” He added, “A few days ago, some colleagues and I were here for a programme and noticed the boys smoking. We had to leave together to avoid any confrontation. Their carelessness likely caused this incident.”
The school principal, Datti Dauda, confirmed the incident, explaining that he was alerted by a neighbor.
“I got a call from the headmaster next door, who informed me about the fire. I contacted the fire service immediately, and they responded quickly to control the situation,” he said.
Dauda ruled out electrical faults as a possible cause since the affected part of the building has no electrical connections. He speculated that the fire might have been caused by intruders or neighboring residents, noting that the premises are often encroached upon. The damage was estimated at over ₦1.5 million, covering destroyed materials and repairs.
A senior fire service official commended the quick action of the team.
“One of our officers noticed the fire, and we responded immediately. We arrived at the scene in less than five minutes and successfully extinguished the flames,” the official said.
Authorities have called for increased vigilance during the harmattan season to prevent such incidents in the future.
