Snakebite Kills Head Teacher Inside Office at LEA Primary School in FCT Community

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27/01/26 • 50 Mga view • 0 Ibahagi • Na-publish sa Iba pa

Tragedy has struck Jamigbe community in Gawu Ward of Abaji Area Council, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), following the death of the head teacher of Local Education Authority (LEA) Primary School, Jam..

The village chief of Jamigbe, His Royal Highness Alhaji Danladi Aliyu, said the reptile gained access to the office through a crack in the wall and hid under a chair before attacking the educator.

According to the traditional ruler, the incident occurred in the morning when the head teacher arrived at the school to begin the day’s activities. As he moved to sit, a cobra allegedly struck, spitting venom into his eyes.

Mohammed was immediately rushed to a hospital in Lambata, Niger State, but was pronounced dead a few hours later.

Aliyu blamed the tragedy on the poor state of infrastructure at the school, describing the buildings as dilapidated and unsafe. He explained that the office where the incident occurred was constructed years ago through community efforts and has since deteriorated, with broken walls and wide cracks that allow reptiles and other dangerous animals to enter.

“The unfortunate thing is that the snake passed through a broken wall into the head teacher’s office. The structure is in total disrepair. It is only by God’s grace that the pupils in the adjoining classroom were spared,” he said.

The incident has thrown the community into mourning and fear, as parents, teachers and residents expressed concern over the safety of pupils and staff. Community members were said to have killed the snake shortly after the attack.

The village chief further disclosed that the school lacks a proper administrative block, with only two classrooms and the community-built office serving as its sole administrative space. He described the late head teacher as a committed and hardworking educator and appealed to the Local Education Authority (LEA), Abaji Area Council and the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) to urgently construct standard classrooms and offices.

Beyond infrastructure, the Chairman of the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA), Adamu Salisu, lamented the acute shortage of teachers in the school, noting that many of the few posted staff rarely report for duty due to the long distance from Abaji town.

“We have written several times to the LEA to address the issue, but nothing has been done. We even suggested that qualified natives with NCE certificates be employed, but there has been no positive response,” Salisu said.

Residents also decried the lack of potable water in the community, relying on a single hand-pump borehole despite the growing population. Women, he said, often trek long distances to streams, especially when the hand pump breaks down.

Aliyu appealed to the Abaji Area Council to provide a motorised borehole with an overhead tank to ease the hardship on residents.

An official of the Abaji Area Council Works Department, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the provision of motorised boreholes for villages in Gawu Ward, including Jamigbe, had been captured in the council’s current budget. He added that issues relating to school infrastructure fall under the responsibility of the LEA, which must formally engage the council and the FCT UBEB.

The tragedy has renewed concerns about safety in rural schools and the prolonged neglect of basic education infrastructure in Nigeria’s underserved communities, with residents calling for urgent government intervention to prevent further loss of lives.

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