A ravaging fire has gutted the College for Qur’anic Science and Islamic Studies established by renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, in Rafin Albasa, Bauchi, Bauchi State.
The cause of the fire, which occurred in the evening hours on Sunday after the day’s school activities, was yet to be determined. The inferno destroyed several buildings and vital facilities within the institution.
LEADERSHIP learned that classrooms, offices, laboratories, computer rooms, libraries, and the staff room situated on the upper floor of the building were all consumed by the fire.
Recall that the college, founded by Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi and affiliated with Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, was commissioned by former vice President, Arc. Namadi Sambo. It combines Islamic and Western education alongside entrepreneurial training to empower students.
Director-general of Education at the Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi Foundation, Sayyadi Aliyu Sise Dahiru, said numerous personal and educational items were lost, including clothings, mattresses, blankets, and valuables belonging to both staff and students.
According to him, items lost to the inferno included rare Islamic texts belonging to Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, the late Dr. Hadi Sheikh Dahiru, the late Ahmad Sheikh Dahiru, and other respected scholars.
Others were about 5,000 books in the library, about 240 student mattresses, beds, 355-metre-long carpet, 24 wardrobes/lockers, 300 student chairs, among numerous other things.
Sise Dahiru, who led journalists on a tour of the affected facility, expressed deep sorrow over the incident.
He commiserated with the college community and thanked Almighty Allah that no lives were lost and no injuries were recorded.
He further appreciated the quick response of the Bauchi State Fire Service, whose personnel battled the fire for over three hours before containing it.
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