A grieving mother has lamented over the deaths of her two children in the Saint Academy School building collapse in Jos Plateau State.
The school building collapsed on July 20, 2024, killing 22 students and injuring 132 others.
The school has 284 secondary students and 145 primary students. 97 of the 132 hospitalised have been treated and discharged as of this report.
The trauma of the loss will take a long time to go away, according to a parent, Mrs. Saleh, a resident of Sabon Layi behind the Zaria Road stadium who lost two of her children.
Lamenting the loss with a shaky voice on the phone, Saleh said, “I lost two children, Abdulraheem and Fatima Suleiman Saleh; they were two siblings, a boy and a girl, who died due to the collapsed building. I can’t talk now; the pain is too much.”
Another mother, Joy Chinecherem, whose three children survived the catastrophe, praised God, stating, “I was at home that day when my sister called to tell me that the school building collapsed. I only heard the word, but I don’t know how I got to the school because I was worried about my two children.
“I was at home that day when my sister called to tell me that the school building had collapsed. I only heard the word, but I don’t know how I got to the school because I was worried about my two children.
“Although my daughter has been discharged, I still shudder at the thought of what happened, but I can only thank God that my children are safe. I mourn the loss of the other children, and I pray for God’s comfort for the parents. It will take time for this incident to be forgoten.”
The Plateau State Government has intensified efforts to unravel the cause of the building collapse.
The state government has also closed down the school and totally destroyed other structures.
Our correspondent, who visited the scene of the incident during a candlelight procession held in honour of the deceased by residents of the state on Wednesday, noted that other two-story buildings in the school have been destroyed on the orders of the state government.
