Benue State University Female Hostel Caught Fire, Properties Destroyed

[Shola Sholaz]

A block of hostel which housed the female students of Benue State University (BSU), Makurdi caught fire yesterday morning, rendering over 200 students homeless.
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The fire which started at about 10 a.m. on Wednesday destroyed properties belonging to the students as most of the hostel occupants couldn't get their things out of the inferno.
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One of the affected students, a 300 level student of Mass Communication, Beatrice Ter, said: "I rushed back and saw a heavy smoke, I tried to save my belongings but it was too late. I lost several items including my iPad, credentials and cell phone."
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In his reaction, the Dean Students' Affairs of the institution, Professor Armstrong Adejoh, attributed the incident to possible power fluctuation, adding: "You know we have been having the issue of epileptic power supply in the school. It could also be due to human error. However, we will set up a panel to determine the cause of the inferno."
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Prof. Adejoh who described the incident as traumatic, said that the institution had put in place a temporary measure to relocate the over 92 identified affected students to a staff quarters.
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Officers and men of the state fire service responded to the incident and were seen battling to put out the fire.