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Claim: An X user asserted that 800 lives have been lost in the recent building collapse in Jos, Plateau State.
Verdict: Misleading! Contrary to the claim, the number of death casualties recorded in the Jos building collapse is 22, not 800, according to the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Jos.
Full Text
A two-storey building has been reported to have collapsed at Saints Academy, a secondary and primary school located at Busa-Buji in Jos North Local Area of Plateau State, trapping students, teachers, and others.
The incident occurred on Friday, Jul. 12, 2024, when the students were writing their third-term examinations.
Now, on social media, users are sharing gory pictures and videos of the scene with claims on the number of casualties. Of such users was @Sarkideyforyou, who posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the collapse had caused the deaths of 800 persons.
He captioned the post with some pictures: “School was collapsed in jos, 800 students were gone.”
In a later post, the user mentioned that 12 people were pulled out dead.
More than 30,000 people have viewed the claim, with 100 reposts, 10 bookmarks, and 125 likes.
DUBAWA resolved to work on this verification because of its potential to misinform the public.
Verification
DUBAWA contacted Musa Ashoms, the state’s commissioner of Information and Communication. During our interview, he shared a press statement and told DUBAWA that the claim was false.
In his words: “Sadly, 22 individuals have been confirmed deceased. Injured students and staff are receiving medical treatment at various hospitals across Jos. A thorough investigation into the cause of the collapse is underway. One hundred and thirty-two hospitalized and 22 deaths, a total of 154 victims,” the information commissioner confirmed.
Using keyword searches, we came across a Premium Times report published on July 12, 2024, on the aftermath of the building collapse.
According to the report, the Plateau State Government announced that 22 persons died and 132 others were injured after the incident in the state capital, Jos, on Friday.
We also spoke with an on-the-ground journalist, who asked not to be named, to corroborate the media report.
“800 students are not dead! Those affected [by the building collapse] weren’t up to that number. 800 is false. I left the scene around 7 p.m. when the rescue workers had halted operations,” said the journalist in an interview with DUBAWA.
Conclusion
Based on our findings, the X user’s assertion that 800 lives were lost in the collapse is misleading. Premium Times reported 22 deaths, while the state’s Information and Communication commissioner debunked the figures.
