ATBU sets up 7- man investigative c’ttee over death of 3 students

Samuel Luka, Bauchi

The management of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi has constituted a seven-man committee to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the collapsed bridge that killed three students and injured seven others.

Daily Times gathered that the metal bridge which links the student hostel to the lecture halls collapsed on the night of August 5 around 11.45 pm following torrential rains in the state.

Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the university, Ambassador Nimota Akanbi, disclosed this at a press conference held at the Gubi Campus on Friday.

Akanbi, who was accompanied by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Muhammad Abdullazeez and other top principal officers of the university, sympathized with parents, families and guardians of the deceased students over the unfortunate incident.

“I have led members of the council to visit the site of the disaster and noted the damage done to the bridge as well as the deep concern and the outburst of the students. I have also noted the constructive comments and criticisms by stakeholders, immediate communities, the press and well-wishers.

“The university has constituted a seven man committee to carry out a thorough investigation on the causes of the incident, recommend ways to improve safety on the campuses, ways to avert a future occurrence and to submit its report a week from the date of the letter,” she added.

The pro-chancellor assured that the committee will do a honest, sincere and critical self-examination and appraisal as preliminary road map to preventing future occurrence.

She promised that “our immediate action is to reconstruct the bridge by using reputable engineering firms so as to bestow to the university a bridge of global standard that would withstand torrents of heavy downpour that are direct consequences of global climate change.

“The unfortunate natural disaster and tragedy that struck within the main campus of our university on August 5, cut short the dreams of the three students and left seven injured who were treated and later released.

The incident has naturally thrown our community into grief of unimaginable magnitude. However, we’re thanking God for limiting the catastrophe.

“It could have been worse if larger number of our students were leaving the campus for their hostels after reading overnight to prepare for examination.”