By Shamsudeen Abubakar
It was a hot Saturday in February. Abdulwahab Muhammad, a final year student of Arabic was decked with the excitement of returning for the final lap of his degree program at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. He was on what was supposed to be a harmless voyage from his town in the Southwest (Ibadan) to his Sokoto, when tragedy struck, fate turned out otherwise for him and other passengers in the vehicle. Fire gutted the car.
“No one knows the cause of the fire. All we only saw was smoke coming out from the car. The driver packed and before he could open the door, the whole car was already burning,” Abdulwahab told the News Digest Press.
“Although no one lost their lives, only a few of us escaped with small bags. Personally, I lost everything. my foodstuffs, books and many valuables. I was only able to save my phone,” he continued in a sad tone.
Nobody can put off that fire, so we have to watch our valuables burn down.”
However, the tragic incident lasted hours. Despite the combined efforts by the driver and male students in the vehicle to unleash the goods, they couldn’t before the fire entirely gutted the whole vehicle.
Qasimu Baraka Folashade, a 300 level student of Pure Biology department, recounted that they started their journey by 1 pm that Saturday being the first bus as two buses were leaving Ibadan that day. So, everything was going smoothly as they set up not until they had reached Ogbomosho after they left LAUTECH along Ilorin.
“The fire was sudden. All thanks to the guy sitting beside me who was able to open the door and we all went out before the fire escalated. All the guys escaped through the window; only a few Females came out from the door,”
“I was only able to bring out my back and that is because the bag is in my passage which hinders me from moving out. If not I would have left it there also_ including my heavy laptop. So I just threw it away and allowed others to follow. The lady beside me’s clothes caught fire because she’s wearing a free gown. Nothing was brought out of the vehicle.” she said in a sober tone.
According to Kolawole Khadija Adiyola, a final year student of Accounting, the bus contained 15 passengers fully loaded with student items. Valuables worth a million naira were destroyed in the fire incident at the Ogbomoso – Ilorin expressway.
She furthered that students bringing messages and loads for other students are left in dilemma as all the valuables are destroyed.
“A guy bringing food stuffs for 3 people had lost everything in the fire. Many of the freshers he is helping bring food items have been in school since after their confirmation. Now without food to eat,” she explained.
“The terminals in Oyo State gave us two vehicles to convey us and the victims back to UDUS.”
Past Fire Incidents in UDUS
Fire Incidents are not a new phenomenon to the Students of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. In fact, each time tragedy struck, valuables worth millions of naira are lost along.
On 15th December 2021, The News Digest Press reported that two rooms in Block J at Aminu Jubril hall of residence were engulfed by fire.
The fire, which was caused by an electrical spark, started from room 13 around 1:30 P.M before extending to room 12. And almost all the credentials and other items such as foodstuff, clothes of the students who reside in room 13 were lost to the fire.
Also, on 7th November 2021, a fire outbreak razed nearly six shops in the Jubril Aminu Hostel Mini-Mart in the main campus.
The fire outbreak was as a result of the waste someone was burning behind the affected shops.
More Than Valuables
With nothing left in pocket and valuables now dissolved to nothingness, most of the passengers made a move to school with the new bus although the choices of Bello Imam and one other female passenger are not so simple. They not only lost their valuables in the vehicle, they were injured along the line and couldn’t travel with them to Sokoto. For Imam, it was a fractured leg, for the girl, it was fire.
“Alhamdulillah we all came out hale and hearty, except the girl that sat at the back of the driver that got burnt and a guy who had a fracture on his shoulder while jumping from the moving bus window. The guy had recently been transferred to Ibadan Lautech hospital,” Folashade echoed.
For Abdullahi Adebayo, what he lost in the fire incident was a price for his life and he was grateful for that.
“I can say we paid for our lives with our valuable items during the fire incident. What could have happened if my life wasn’t redeemed with my goods? We face a 5 second death in which everyone could have vanished from the Earth surface on our way to Ogbomosho.”
Promises Without Manifestation
The Students’ Union Caretaker Committee, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto promised to render assistance to the victims when they reach out.
This was said in a statement obtained by News Digest Press days after the incident. However, sources (victims) who spoke to Digest confirmed that nothing has been done. In fact as at the time of this report, the students are yet to receive any incentives from them.
Plea Against Looming Hunger
“Alhamdulillah we are all safe. We only need donations. We need food, clothes and money, no matter how little it is.” Folashade pleaded.
The Federation of Ibadan Student Union, UDUS has also made a plea to the general public by soliciting for funds for the victim.
With a burnt bag full of dreams, the victims of Ibadan fire Incidents are on campus. Leaving foodstuffs, now ashes, over 700 kilometers back.