Anxiety As Mysterious Fires Gutted Benue Catholic Girls’ School 3 Times In 6 Months

Fear and uncertainty have continued to spread among parents and guardians at St Winifred’s Secondary School, Ihugh, in Benue State, following three separate fire incidents that destroyed three School’s hostels within six months.

The incidents have left families traumatised and raised serious concerns about student safety in one of the state’s Catholic girls’ institutions.

St Winifred Girls’ Secondary School is located in Ihugh, a small town in Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State. It is the first and only girls’ secondary school in the local government area.

For many parents, what initially appeared to be an unfortunate incident has now developed into a frightening pattern that has shaken confidence in the school community.

Parents who once considered the institution a safe environment for their daughters are now struggling with difficult decisions about whether to return their children to school after repeated destruction caused by mysterious fires.

The anxiety began on 29 October 2025, when an entire hostel building belonging to the school was completely destroyed by fire at night while students were having night preparation studies. The cause of the incident was not determined.

However, no lives were lost and only property was affected. At the time, school authorities informed the public about the emergency situation.

Management disclosed that the building had been completely destroyed.

“This is to inform the general public of the emergency situation at St. Winifred Girls’ Secondary School, Ihugh. An entire hostel building was completely destroyed by fire last night while the students were in for night preps,” management announced at the time.

Although authorities indicated that the cause remained unknown despite the scale of destruction, management expressed gratitude that no lives were lost.

The October 2025 incident attracted intervention from the Benue State Government.

Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management and Benue State Emergency Management Agency, Sir James Anodoakaa Iorpuu, visited the school after the hostel building was destroyed.

Government officials assessed the scale of damage and announced financial intervention to support recovery efforts.

The Benue State Government donated N20 million. According to officials, N10 million was allocated to school management while another N10 million was designated for students who lost belongings.

At the time, the intervention offered hope as families trusted that stronger preventive measures would be implemented and hoped investigations would identify what went wrong.

They expected improvements in security and emergency response. Few imagined another hostel would burn months later. Even fewer anticipated a third destructive incident.

However, another fire outbreak reportedly occurred roughly a week before 12 May 2026, intensifying concerns among residents and parents.

The anxiety worsened further on 12 May 2026 when another hostel building was razed by fire. The recurrence left residents of Ihugh and surrounding communities searching for explanations while school authorities worked to restore confidence among worried parents.

According to information released by the school management to parents and obtained by LEADERSHIP, the latest incident occurred in the morning after students had returned from break and resumed academic activities in their classrooms.

“With deep concern, we inform the general public of a fire outbreak that occurred this morning, 12th May, 2026, at St. Winifred’s Secondary School, Ihugh,” management stated.

The school disclosed that the fire reportedly started in one of the hostels around 11am. At the time of the incident, students were no longer inside the building, they had returned from break and resumed studies in their classrooms.

School management reported that emergency procedures were immediately activated in an effort to contain the situation. Despite those efforts, the fire completely overwhelmed the facility.

The entire hostel building was destroyed and nothing could be salvaged. Personal belongings, books, food supplies, clothes and other valuables belonging to students were reduced to ashes.

Management stated;

“Although emergency protocols were quickly activated, the entire hostel building was destroyed and nothing was taken out.

“However, by God’s mercy, no casualties or serious injuries have been reported.”

The management added that preliminary investigations had commenced to determine the cause of the fire.

“The cause of the fire outbreak is yet to be known. However, the school administration has opened preliminary investigations,” the statement added.

What many parents initially believed was an isolated tragedy had now become a troubling sequence of events. The repeated fires have created deep emotional scars among students and their families.

Books purchased through financial sacrifices disappeared while clothes, food items, mattresses and personal belongings accumulated over months vanished in flames. Parents already battling difficult economic realities suddenly faced the possibility of replacing items worth substantial amounts.

For families struggling with rising living costs, the losses have become overwhelming, with the emotional impact appearing even deeper.

Margaret, a parent whose daughter attends the school, spoke about the emotional toll the incidents have had on her family.

Her daughter, Mfena, a Junior Secondary School One student, has struggled to recover psychologically since returning home after the fire incident.

According to her mother, fear has now replaced excitement about returning to school. “She has been crying. I’m afraid my child may not go back to that school.”

The worried mother said efforts to reassure her daughter had achieved little. “I tried to convince her to be okay but she’s worried it may happen again,” she said.

Margaret further said perhaps the most painful reality was watching everything disappear. “The saddest part of it is that everything, including their books, clothes and foodstuff, burnt inside the building.”

LEADERSHIP gathered that, as of the time of filing this report, parents were waiting to see how authorities would respond before making decisions.

However, management announced that those allegedly responsible for the destruction of the three hostels had been identified.

“We wish to inform you that those responsible for the burning down of three of our hostels have been identified, and the appropriate authorities have ordered their arrest.”

The announcement provided some relief to families, however, many parents insist accountability must be accompanied by stronger preventive measures.

School authorities further disclosed that discussions had taken place involving community stakeholders, while traditional rulers reportedly led engagements aimed at addressing the crisis.

The Chairman of Vandeikya Local Government Area and the Divisional Police Officer of Ihugh were also involved.

According to memo shared to parents by the school management, security measures have now been introduced to prevent future occurrences.

The school also announced that external examination classes comprising Basic Nine, Senior Secondary School Two and Senior Secondary School Three students are expected to resume academic activities from 27 May 2026, adding that communication regarding Basic Seven, Basic Eight and Senior Secondary School One students would follow subsequently.

In the memo, the school proprietor, Most Reverend William Amove Avenya, also invited parents and teachers to a joint meeting involving stakeholders from St. Winifred Girls’ Secondary School and Queen of the Rosary Secondary School, Gboko.

The meeting, according to management, is expected to hold on 30 May 2026 at Saint James Parish, Yandev.