How the Principal of Bethlehem Girls College, Rev. Sister Henrietta Alokha died to save her students
Among the many tragedies that trailed the devastating gas explosion that occurred in Abule Ado, Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos on Sunday, March 15, the death of the Principal of the Bethlehem Girls College, Reverend Sister Henrietta Alokha was one of the most painful. The school administrator who acquaintances eulogize as a remarkable and passionate individual, died while trying to save all her students.
The boarding school which is located just opposite the explosion site was one of the most affected buildings within the area. Many students who were still in residence at the time of the incident were trapped inside the buildings.
According to eyewitnesses, Alokha was reluctant to move to safety until the last child was rescued from the rubble of the battered hostels and Chapel. It was during the process of helping one student escape that the debris from the roof struck her, and she couldn’t make it.
The Reverend sister was transferred from Benin to oversee the running of the Bethlehem Girls College. She was until her death a Sister of the sacred heart – a female Catholic order devoted to spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Her enduring sacrifice in living up to the tenets of her beliefs cost her her life.
The spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency, South-West region, Ibrahim Farinloye disclosed that 60 students from the school were rescued and taken to the Nigerian Navy Hospital in Satellite Town.
There have been no confirmed reports on whether any student died from the incident apart from the guard who was also killed at the gatehouse.
Alokha’s death was confirmed in a statement signed by Bro Vincent Iwueze of The Holy Family Catholic Church, Festac Town.
“We have just received the news of the demise of Rev. Sr Henrietta Alokha, Principal of Bethlehem High School Abule Ado involved in the petrol pipeline explosion that occurred earlier today [March 15, 2020]. Late Rev. Sr Henrietta Alokha is the younger sister of Our Worthy Advocate WB Anslem Alokha.
“Late Rev. Sr. Henrietta Alokha rescued all the children under her care from the pipeline fire and could not make it herself.
“May her soul and the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God Rest In Peace, Amen.”
Many people who knew her were deeply moved by the sad incident. The former Governor of Anambra, Peter Obi praised her for being a hero at the moment it mattered most.
“When it mattered most, Rev Sr Henrietta Alokha, Principal of Bethlehem Girls College, Abule Ado, Lagos, heroically put her life on the line to rescue her students in the Sunday explosion, in Lagos,” Obi tweeted.
“I still saw sister Henrietta yesterday as she was hurrying about, trying to organize the students writing exams at the school and also trying to get the students ready for me to come for their writing workshop. I didn’t know that was the last time I will see and talk to her,” Frank Banjo tweeted.
The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC said in a statement that the explosion which claimed about 17 lives on Sunday was triggered after a truck crashed into gas cylinders stacked in a gas processing plant next to the NNPC 2B pipeline.
The Director-General of LASEMA, Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the agency could not tell the primary cause of the incident until investigations are completed.
