By Suzan Edeh, Bauchi

It was yet another day of mourning at Nassarawa Jahun ward of the Bauchi Metropolis when a part of the historic Bauchi wall, constructed in about 1804, collapsed on an adjacent building, killing two people and injuring four others.

Vanguard Metro, VM, gathered that a day before the tragedy being Saturday, there was a heavy rainfall in the state that lasted several hours. It was also learnt that the tallest historic wall which is over 100 years had cracks on it due to rainfalls from previous years but nothing was done to renovate it, until it eventually collapsed on the fateful Sunday around 12.50 pm.

The two victims, Abdullahi Aliyu, 50, a father of five and his neighbour’s wife, Bilkisu Yayaya, 38, were in the house when the incident occurred. The surviving two daughters of the late Abdullahi  Aliyu could barely control their emotion when  VM sought their reaction on  the incident. In tears they said: “ It is the will of Allah ‘’ and could not say more. Asamau, 17 and her sister Hafsat, 15, disclosed that their father was sleeping in his room when the ancient fell on their house and killed him.

Asmau whose body was covered with red dust from the collapsed building said: “I was sitting inside the parlour with my sister when the house started falling. My father was inside his room already asleep when the building collapsed on him. It was just like a bad dream because nobody ever envisaged that such a tragedy will befall our house”.

*What was left of Abdullahi Aliyu’s house after the ancient wall fell on it, killing him

Another survivor, Mallama Jamila Salihu, said she was preparing food for the wedding of a neighbour with Bilkisu in Abdullahi’s compound when the incident occurred. Jamila said: “I was in the kitchen when I heard the wall collapsing and before we knew it, it fell and there was dust everywhere. I was rescued”.

The Chairman, Bauchi Local Government Area, Sagir Baba Maji, who was represented by the Education and Social Development Officer, Aminu Yaya, described the incident as sad, saying: “We accept this tragic incident as the will of God and although we are sad because the collapse of the wall led to the death of two persons, we know that whatever is destined to happen will eventually happen”. The Bauchi  local government chairman condoled with the family of the deceased  and  urged the people to build their houses as least 20 metres from the ancient wall to avoid another  disaster.

In his remark, Ibrahim Saidu Jahun,  Galadiman Bauchi, said there had been signs that the wall would collapse and attributed the incident to the early morning rains that occurred the previous day. Jahun, the immediate past Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, Rector observed that people should build their houses far away from the wall to enable the authority to carry out repairs on it.

“It is a very sad incident and I pray Allah to grant the families the fortitude to bear the loss. It is sad but one needs to submit to Allah.”

The deceased were being taken for burial at the time of this report while two who were critically injured were rushed to the hospital

Residents of the area who trooped to the scene lamented that the traditional ruler’s wall poses a threat to them and appealled to him to demolish and rehabilitate the out-dated building with a view to protecting their lives.

They also called on the government to compensate the families of the victims in order to alleviate their sadness.