There was intense panic among the residents of Shagari Street in Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa State after a student hostel was allegedly set on fire by a man suspected to be mentally unstable.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday and affected a students lodge housing multiple off-campus rooms.
The fire inferno is alleged to have started from the room of a male occupant believed to have lost his mental stability due to prolonged drug abuse.
Sources said the suspect set his own room ablaze under unclear circumstances, with the fire quickly spreading to at least five other rooms in the building.
“Fortunately, no lives were lost in the incident as all the other students occupying the affected rooms were said to have traveled at the time of the fire.
“However, personal belongings and household items were completely destroyed, as nothing was salvaged from the affected rooms,” a student identified as Joy Ndukwe told our reporter.
As of the time of filing this report, emergency responders had not officially commented on the incident, but local residents confirmed that the entire building was completely razed down by the time the fire was brought under control.
