• Says Residents Used Sacks to Pack Dead Bodies

More details are emerging after the Wednesday fire that killed at least 17 school children in Zamafara state.

AbdulRazak Kaura, Publicity Secretary of the Kaura Namoda Focus Forum, while giving a vivid description of what residents saw at the scene of the inferno, said the situation was gory.

Speaking on a live television programme on Channels TV, Morning Brief on Thursday, Kaura said that children were roasted like plantains.

“Dead bodies, after being burnt, were packed in sacks. We saw children roasted like plantains,” Kaura narrated

NPO Reported earlier on Wednesday that several other pupils were injured and rushed to health centres in the town of Kauran Namoda, Zamfara state, for treatment.

It was believed that the fire broke out in a nearby house on Tuesday night and spread to the school while the children, believed to be teenagers, were sleeping.

Local authorities and emergency responders were sent to the scene, but the fire had already resulted in significant casualties.

Eyewitness Yahaya Mahi told BBC Hausa the location of the school made it difficult for those trying to stop the fire.

“Even if the firefighters had come on time, reaching the house would’ve been difficult due to the tight road leading to the house,” he said.

Local official Mannir Haidara said other Islamic schools would be inspected to make sure they were not a fire risk.

”We’ll take measures to prevent another occurrence of this nature,” he said.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire was caused by stored sticks, locally known as “kara,” which were gathered in the vicinity of the school.

The Director General NEMA Mrs Zubaida Umar has offered her sympathies to the affected persons and families.

She has also directed the NEMA Sokoto Operations office to collaborate with the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and other stakeholders for provision of essential support and assistance to those affected by the tragic incident.