Many escape death as examination hall collapses on candidates writing WAEC in Taraba

The students, along with teachers, corps members, and external supervisors, were reportedly trapped in the collapsed structures and had to be rescued by local residents who responded swiftly to the incident.

Several students, both male and female, sustained varying degrees of injuries, with some reportedly suffering fractures to their limbs.

Don’t miss out on any real-time information. Join our WhatsApp group to stay updated.

..

The victims are currently receiving treatment at a nearby Primary Healthcare Centre in the town.

A resident, Alhaji DanAzumi Lauris, speaking with The PUNCH said the incident happened around 6pm, shortly after the second set of students had begun their exams.

“It was the second batch of students still writing their exams that got trapped. The first set had already finished and left.

“The rain came suddenly with strong winds, and the old classroom structures couldn’t withstand it,” he said.

He added that the windstorm not only brought down the school buildings but also destroyed several homes in the community.

In a related development, students in Jalingo, the state capital, were also affected by Wednesday’s heavy rainfall.

Some candidates were forced to remain at their exam centres until after 1am, as the torrential rain made it impossible to return home earlier.

There was also a reported late arrival of WAEC paper for the day, which caused the delay in writing the exams until 8pm when some centres received the paper.

Efforts were made to contact the Commissioner for Basic Education, Dr. Augustina Godwin, but her phone line was not reachable at the time of filing the story.

Meanwhile, WAEC has blamed the delay in the conduct of the 2025 English Language paper on Wednesday on heightened efforts to curb examination malpractice, particularly the leakage of question papers.

In a statement issued on Thursday, WAEC acknowledged the disruption experienced by candidates during the English Language Paper 2, which was scheduled for May 28 but held several hours behind schedule in many centres nationwide.

Don’t miss out on any real-time information. Join our WhatsApp group to stay updated.

..

Videos and photos circulated on social media showed students sitting for the examination as late as 10pm, relying on torchlights and lanterns due to power outages, a situation that sparked outrage and renewed concerns about examination planning and student welfare.

WAEC’s Acting Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, said the examination body’s commitment to protecting the integrity of the examination contributed significantly to the delay.