Fire Ravages PYC K’ba as Back-To-School Flops in K’ba

By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba

Fire Ravages PYC K’ba

Fire whose cause is still to be clearly established has consumed part of the Presbyterian Youth Centre. PYC, Fiango, Kumba. The fire incident occurred on the night of Tuesday January 8, 2019 at about 3am.

                The fire completely consume the administrative block that comprises the Warden’s office, the vocational training centre and its belongings. Remains of properties such as office equipment, book and others could be visibly seen on the site of the incident with the entire roof of the affected area damaged.

                Speaking to The Median on the site of the incident, Rev Pastor Ekoko Divine Makumbe of Presbyterian Church Fiango, the same premises where the centre is located noted that, they woke on the early hours of the morning at about 1:30am and were told there was a raging fire on the premises.

                “We went out and saw part of the building in flames and immediately called the Kumba fire-fighters who came in after a while and succeeded in putting out the flames” Rev Ekoko revealed while indicating that, they were alerted of the incident by the security officer who was on guard but no one could tell the actual cause of the fire. PYC Fiango Kumba, created in 1975 runs a secondary, high school and vocational training centre. It equally runs a private evening school.

                The fire incident comes barely a day after the resumption of classes for the second term of the 2018-2019 academic year in the country. Though the doors of schools were flung open in other regions, schools in the restive North West and South West Regions in general and Meme Division in particular still remain closed.

                Throughout this first week of resumption, no student or pupil has been spotted on the way to any school as the school compounds still remain deserted. To recall is the fact that, the month of November 2018 was marked by mass kidnap of students in Kumba.

                Nine students and a teacher from Lords Bilingual Academy were kidnapped by pro-independence fighters and only released after a heavy gun battle between them and the security forces. Also, six students from Baptists High school Kumba were kidnapped on their campus and only released days later days later after reported payment of ransom from their parents. It is still unclear whether the doors of schools will be open this second week of resumption in Kumba.