The apprehension among the family and other residents about the fate of 89-year-old woman, Mrs Mistura Amodu, who was trapped beneath the rubble of a collapsed building at Odunfa Street on Lagos Island, yesterday turned to joy.
She was rescued alive from the debris.
The fear among the family and other residents had been heightened by the rumour that the octogenarian had died.
But four hours after the building caved in, emergency workers found Mrs Amodu in the rubble, talking to herself and wiping dust from her face and ears.
Despite being covered by the debris, a big stone pressing her leg to the ground, the octogenarian remained alert.
The rescuers carried her out, placed in a stretcher with an oxygen mast placed on her mouth and nostrils.
On sighting the lace fabric she wore before the collapse, Mrs Amodu’s grandchildren attempted to run into the scene.
But they were restricted by security agents, who assured that the octogenarian was fine.
One of her grand-daughters, Shukra Ishola, who saw the old woman before the accident, said she had told her to come down, adding that she was using the convenience.
The happy lady, who said Mrs Amodu lived in a room on the first floor of the collapsed building, added that she had looked everywhere for her grandmother without success.
Ms Ishola said: “I was in my shop when the building collapsed. I was arranging the shop when dust suddenly covered my body.
“I wondered where the dust came from. As I looked sideways, I saw that the building had collapsed.
“We live on the first floor in a room-and-parlour self-contained home. My grandmother also lives in a room on the same floor.
“I did not notice any sign before the building collapsed. I went upstairs. A few minutes before it crashed, I checked on her and she told me she wanted to use the convenience and that she would join me at my shop.
“I am glad she was rescued. I pray my grandmother survives.”
According to her, some portions of the building were recently renovated; other parts of the apartments were still empty.
Mrs Amodu’s daughter-in-law, Fatimah Ishola, who walked out of the collapsed structure, said she was having her bath when the incident occurred.
She added: “I live on the first floor with my family and mother-in-law. I heard a part of the building had cracked and I decided to have my bath before checking it.
“As I stepped out of the bathroom, the building collapsed. Sincerely, I don’t know how I came out. It was God. Allah is great.
“The only reason I moved into the building, five years ago, was because they just renovated it.”