Five people have died in two separate building collapses that occurred Saturday in Kano State, the Kano State Fire Service confirmed in a statement released Sunday.
The incidents, which unfolded within minutes of each other, claimed four lives at a construction site in Gaida, Kumbotso Local Government Area, and one at an Islamiyya school in Kurna, Fagge Local Government Area.
According to the statement signed by the service’s Public Relations Officer, ACFO Saminu Yusif Abdullahi, emergency responders received the first distress call at approximately 2:34 p.m. regarding an incomplete building under construction near Salbas Filling Station in Gaida. Six workers were on site when the structure gave way.
Fire service personnel rescued two workers alive: Muhammad Hassan, 17, and Khalid Abubakar, 19. Four others were pulled from the rubble unconscious and later pronounced dead at Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital. They were identified as Sunusi Surajo, 18; Bashir Ibrahim, 20; Ibrahim Ibrahim, 25; and Abubakar, 30. The victims were subsequently handed over to Inspector Adamu Garba of the Kofar Wanbai Police Division.
The second collapse was reported at 2:40 p.m. at the Khadija Idris Bala Islamiyya school, located behind a primary school in Kurna. Nine students were affected when the building caved in. Eight were rescued alive and identified as Hassana Isah, Usaina Isah, Zulaihat M. Gambo, Nawara Yahaya, Nusaiba Isah, Hasiya Munir, Khadija Isah, and Hadiza Haruna. The ninth student, 14-year-old Khadija Muhammad, was rescued unconscious but did not survive. The students were released to the school’s headmaster, Muhammad Gambo Usman.
The fire service said investigations into the causes of both collapses are ongoing. In the meantime, the agency urged building owners, contractors, and construction workers to prioritise safety protocols and ensure strict adherence to approved building standards.
The twin tragedies underscore recurring concerns about structural integrity in Nigeria’s rapidly urbanising centres, where regulatory enforcement often lags behind development. Authorities have yet to indicate whether criminal negligence charges will be considered pending the outcome of the investigations.
