A block of classrooms at Limawa Day Secondary School in Minna, Niger State, was consumed by fire on Thursday evening, with suspected hemp smokers identified as the likely culprits. The blaze was promptly extinguished by firefighters from the Niger State Federal Fire Service.
Eyewitnesses reported that a group of young men frequently gathered on the school premises to smoke hemp. Ibrahim Mohammed, a witness, recounted that one of the smokers allegedly discarded a burning cigarette butt in a classroom, which ignited the fire during the harmattan season.
“These boys often smoke weed here. With the harmattan season, things easily catch fire. Yesterday, they dropped a burning butt, and it caused the fire,” Mohammed said. He added, “I’ve seen them before, and even avoided confrontation when leaving the area after a programme.”
The school principal, Datti Dauda, confirmed the incident, explaining that a neighbor had alerted him to the fire. He immediately contacted the fire service, which responded quickly to extinguish the flames.
Dauda dismissed the possibility of electrical faults as the cause, noting that the affected building lacked electrical connections. “It might have been caused by intruders or some neighbors since the premises are often encroached upon,” he said.
He estimated the damage at over ₦1.5 million, accounting for repairs to destroyed planks and materials.
A senior fire service official commended his team’s rapid response, stating, “We arrived at the scene in less than five minutes and quickly put out the fire.”
Authorities have urged the public to exercise caution and vigilance during the harmattan season to prevent similar incidents.
