Tragedy struck a public primary school in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) following the death of a head teacher who was bitten by a venomous snake.
The deceased, Usman Mohammed, was the head teacher of Local Education Authority (LEA) Primary School in Jamigbe community, Gawu Ward, Abaji Area Council.
Confirming the incident, the village chief of Jamigbe community, HRH Alhaji Danladi Aliyu, told journalists that the snake gained access to the head teacher’s office through a crack in the wall, hid under a chair, and attacked him as soon as he entered.
He explained that Mohammed had arrived at the school in the morning to open his office and was about to sit down when a cobra struck. According to the chief, the snake also spat venom into the teacher’s eyes during the attack.
The victim was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital in Lambata village, Niger State, where he was pronounced dead a few hours later.
Aliyu blamed the incident on the dilapidated condition of the school’s infrastructure, noting that broken walls and neglected facilities made the environment unsafe.
“The unfortunate thing is that when we received information about the incident, members of the community discovered that the snake had passed through a broken wall into the head teacher’s office,” he said.
The incident has thrown the entire community into mourning, with parents, teachers, and residents expressing fear over safety conditions at the school.
Community leaders and residents raised concerns about collapsed structures, broken floors, and overgrown bushes, which they said expose classrooms to snakes and other dangers.
They called on the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the Abaji Area Council to urgently rehabilitate the school, clear surrounding bushes, and implement adequate safety measures to prevent a recurrence.
