No fewer than 200 pupils and about 15 teachers escaped death by whiskers when a twin storey school building collapsed at the Uzii Primary School, along Mbaise Road, Owerri the Imo State capital.
According to findings, the twin story building is one of the 305 class room buildings constructed by Governor Rochas Okorocha in the 305 wards in the state and was under use for learning by the pupils and their teachers.
Our reporter gathered that the roof of the building was blown off by the Tuesday evening rain storm as it fell within the compound when the pupils were about leaving the school premises around 3 pm.
An eye-witness said told our correspond that even players of Taye Football Academy which uses the school playground as a training ground were breaths away from being victims of the collapsed school building as the incident happened before they could gather to begin their training.
The witness lamented that the building that the collapsed building was barely built last year.
The incident, according to reports, threw the entire community into panic, as parents stormed the school in search of their wards.
A man said: ”The prevailing peace in the school was immediately gone, forcing many to run for dear life. Most parents who heard of the incident rushed to the school to ascertain the well-being of their wards”.
He called on the state government under Governor Okorocha to use its second term to improve on the substandard projects it had done in the state over the last four years.
Several buildings constructed by the state government in the last four years had collapsed raising more questions about the standard of the projects.
It would be recalled that the multi-million naira Imo Film Academy constructed and commissioned by Governor Okorocha of Imo State at the premises of the Imo State College of Advanced Professional Studies, ICAPS, along Egbu Road Owerri, collapsed just a week after it was commissioned by the governor.
Also, a new security gate being constructed behind the main entrance gate to the Government House collapsed even as a similar incident happened in June last year at the Imo State University (IMSU), Owerri when dozens of students of the University escaped death by whiskers when a storey building lecture hall and office complex being constructed in the university campus collapsed.
Police Public Relations Officer of Imo State Command, Andrew Enwerem (DSP) contacted on phone, said he was yet to get the report.
Also, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Engr. Chidi Ibe said he was yet to get the report.
He said the only ones he had visited were those of the Dan Anyiam Stadium which were also affected by the rain storm that same Tueday.
