Nearly 500 Pupils Flee ‘Death Trap’ Abuja School As Ceilings Fall, Buildings Collapse

More than 478 pupils have stopped attending classes at Local Education Authority (LEA) Nomadic Primary School, Gagare, Paikon Kore, in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), following the collapse of basic infrastructure in the school.

A civic technology platform, MonITNG, disclosed that the institution, which is supposed to provide a safe learning environment, has deteriorated into a dangerous site with open roofs, cracked walls, and hanging ceiling boards that pose a serious threat to the lives of pupils and teachers.

The group noted that despite repeated appeals from parents and community members to the Gwagwalada Area Council, no repairs have been carried out on the school.

“Parents have begged the Gwagwalada Area Council to take action. They have written letters, attended meetings, and pleaded for repairs. The result? Silence. Promises without progress. Meanwhile, children’s dreams are put on hold, and their safety is compromised,” the organisation said.

“Those who can afford it have withdrawn their children to private schools far from the community. Others have resorted to keeping their children at home or taking them to the farms.”

It said, “The children who remain in school endure daily hardship sitting on bare floors, dodging falling debris, and straining to hear lessons through broken windows and open roofs.

“This is not just about a single school. This is the reality of many schools across satellite towns in Abuja. Infrastructure is collapsing. Teachers are demoralised. Pupils are learning in unsafe, undignified conditions.”

MonITNG has called on FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the Senator representing the FCT, Ireti Kingibe, to urgently declare a state of emergency on schools in satellite towns.

“If billions can be allocated to education, then let it be seen in the safety of our classrooms, the quality of our teaching materials, and the dignity of our learning spaces. The future of our children depends on it,” it said. The group warned that Abuja must not be a city with two realities — glamour in the city centre and neglect in its outlying communities.