ABTU Bridge Collapse: Over 30 Students Were On The Bridge Taking Selfies

The management of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ABTU), Bauchi has pointed accusing fingers at the dead, saying the metal bridge linking the student hostel and the lecture halls collapsed because over 30 students were taking selfies on it.

KanyiDaily had reported the bridge linking ABTU hostels and lecture halls of the school, collapsed on Monday night at about 11.45pm, following a heavy downpour, leading to the death of three students. Seven others were reported injured.

The institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Muhammad Abdulazeez, who received the Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, when he paid a condolence visit to the Gubi campus of the institution on Wednesday, said:

“The management felt that it was necessary to construct a metal bridge for between 10 and 15 people at a time. It was not meant for static loads but for dynamic loads, that means, you don’t stand on it, you just pass.

“The reports we received from some of the students were that when the rain had stopped and the students were about crossing, they found the scene excellent for them to take selfies. So they started from two and before you could realize it, there were more than 30 students on the bridge standing, and that bridge was not meant for people to stand.”

“Some of the students could not pass and had to also stand, and the bridge suddenly collapsed and that was how we lost three students. As of today, we don’t have any student missing.

“Based on our records, no student is missing for now. Three students –two from Kogi State and one from Benue State – were confirmed dead. Two females and a male and they were all from the department of business education and management studies.”

The VC said that the university management has constituted an investigation committee to find out the remote cause and the possible way to handle the whole situation.