Fire razes Sokoto orphan school built for Boko Haram victims

A fire outbreak on Thursday evening ravaged parts of Jarma UK Academy in Sokoto, destroying key facilities including students’ hostels and administrative offices.

The blaze, whose cause is yet to be determined, affected the upper floor of the school building, gutting the Principal’s and Vice Principal’s offices, a computer laboratory, and a staff room. Several students also lost personal belongings such as mattresses, blankets, and clothing.

Following the incident, a delegation from the Sokoto State Government, led by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Muhammad Bello Sifawa, paid a sympathy visit to the academy to assess the extent of the damage.

Other members of the delegation included the Chief of Staff, Government House Sokoto, Aminu Haliru Dikko, and the State Attorney-General, Nasiru Mohammed Binji.

While addressing the school management at the scene, the SSG expressed gratitude that no lives were lost and no student sustained injuries in the fire.

He also offered words of comfort on behalf of the state government, acknowledging the school’s importance and the vulnerability of its student population.

“Jarma UK Academy was established in 2018 by philanthropist Alhaji Ummarun Kwabo, Jarman Sokoto, with an initial enrolment of 176 students, most of them orphans displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in Borno and Yobe States,” Sifawa said.

He noted that the institution provides a blend of Western and Islamic education, as well as entrepreneurial training aimed at equipping students to become self-reliant and productive members of society.