A dilapidated structure on Nwachukwu Street, Mile 2 Diobu, Port Harcourt, collapsed on Thursday, killing a mother of three identified as Mrs. Uwana Dennis from Akwa Ibom State.
The incident occurred around 10:30 a.m.
A source said part of the failing building fell on the woman while she was selling fruits nearby.
Spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident and said investigations are underway.
One person has been confirmed dead and eight others rescued after a three-storey building with a penthouse collapsed at 28 Baale Alayabiagba Street, Ajegunle, Apapa area of Lagos.
The building, which was said to be undergoing manual demolition, caved in around 11:09 am on Thursday, trapping some of the workers under the rubble.
According to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), eight adult male workers were rescued alive while one adult male was recovered dead from the debris.
Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, who confirmed the incident, said emergency responders swiftly moved to the scene following a distress call.
He said: “Upon arrival, it was observed that a three-storey building with a penthouse undergoing manual demolition collapsed, trapping some workers under the rubble. Eight adult males were rescued alive, while one adult male was recovered dead”.
Oke-Osanyintolu added that the injured victims were treated on-site by officials of the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) before being taken to Ajeromi General Hospital for further medical attention.
Responders at the scene included LASEMA, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC), LASAMBUS, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and the Nigeria Police.
As of press time, search and rescue operations were still ongoing.
A three-storey building has collapsed at Iriebe community in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The chairman of Obio Akpor local government area, Amb. Chijioke Ihunwo, confirmed the development in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Ofonime Okon.
It was gathered that the building collapsed on Tuesday but there was no report of any casualty.
Ihunwo during the assessment of the site ordered immediate closure of the area.
Ihunwo expressed sadness over the incident and asked the yet-to-be identified to report to his office on Wednesday alongside his site engineer for questioning.
He said: “The collapse is quite unfortunate and as a local government,we have closed down this site with immediate effect and instructed the owner of the building to furnish us with the necessary building approval from the ministry of Urban development. For now, we cannot ascertain if someone is under the rubble”.
Ihunwo further queried the quality of materials used in the construction.
“You can see for yourself the kind of materials used for this project and that is why we are inviting the owner of the building for interrogation so that he can tell us why he is using substandard materials for this kind of building”, he said.
Ihunwo also indicated plans to work with the Rivers State Ministry of Urban Development to ascertain if the ministry actually approved the building plan.
An expert, Areo Michael, has said use of unskilled labour, engaging non professionals, and failure of various regulatory bodies, professional institutions and government parastatals to follow best standard practises are major causes of incessant building collapse in Lagos State and other parts of the country.
He said based on his research and observations as a professional surveyor with years of experiences in the construction industry, there are things to put in place to curb the menace and avert untimely death caused by building collapses.
Speaking with newsmen after he bagged the “Professional Fellowship Doctorate in Real Estate Development and Entrepreneurship Sustainability” by The Chartered Institute of Public Resources Management and Politics (CIPRMP), Ghana and other honorary accolades for his leadership inspiration to societal growth in Africa, the expert said all hands must be on deck to thoroughly address the challenges of building collapse in Nigeria for the benefit of all.
The expert, who is the Co-founder, Landnest Home and Properties, raised the concern that in an attempt to save cost, the rate at which unskilled labor and non professionals are being used in the construction industry has become alarming and worrisome.
He said: “Hiring the right skilled labour and professionals with valid experience is key in fighting the rate at which buildings collapse in Lagos.”
The expert said to address the problem, “Various regulatory bodies, professional institutions and government parastatals should assist with relevant training and certifications to industry professionals.”
He stated that there was need for continuous education and certification for architects, engineers and construction workers to ensure they are up-to-date with best practices and safety standards as well as to promote innovation and resilient building designs that can withstand local environmental conditions and potential hazards.
He added: “Promoting the use of standard and quality building materials and equipment is equally vital element in curbing the incessant collapse of buildings in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria.
“Ensuring QAQC engineers (Quality Assessment and Quality control) and consultants are encouraged not to overlook regular testing of materials and equipment to ensure they meet safety standards at every vital stage of construction.
“Lastly, the entire public also has a part to play. The usual saying in safety and security measures “if you see something, say something” does not only apply in security measures but also applies in the safety of constructions in and around us.
“The entire populace needs to be educated and sensitized on reporting unsafe building practices and structures happening around them. This will enable control implementations before the collapse of these structures and a rescue operation can be put in place, or a controlled demolition.”
“I want to commend the government of Lagos under the leadership of His Excellency, Gov. Babajide Sanwolu for his swift response and his recent reformation strategies in curbing the menace of building collapse in Lagos after the recent building collapse which I believe will really go a long way in enforcing stricter building construction codes and ethics and to ensure that existing building regulations are enforced rigorously which includes proper inspections and penalties for non-compliance.”
Residents of the Sabo area in Osogbo, the capital of Osun state, were gripped with fear on Sunday, July 14, when an abandoned building, allegedly used by hoodlums, collapsed.
The Nation reported that five people were trapped inside when the building collapsed around 7:30 am.
It was learned that the uncompleted, abandoned storey building had been used by hoodlums as an abode before its collapse.
A source known as Tunde explained that the building was a den for cultists, hoodlums, and other bad actors, and that security operatives had raided it several times before its collapse on Sunday morning.
He said: “As I am talking to you, security operatives with rescue teams have arrived the scene. They have brought crain machine to the scene, they rescued three people from the rumbles.”
The spokesperson of the Nigerian Security Civil Defense Corps(NSCDC), Osun State Command, Kehinde Adeleke confirmed the collapse.
According to her, “Subsequent to our earlier report dated 10 June 2024 in which we reported on an uncompleted building used as residence by hoodlums by AUD primary school, Sabo Elegun.
“The building we reported was an eyesore and we recommended raiding by task force and the environmental body to the building is sanitised. The said building collapsed at about 07:30 hrs today Sunday 14th July 2024 entrapping 5 people.
“Two people have been rescued so far while the remaining three are entrapped under the decking that requires the use of a Crain.
“While we await the crain, people are doing all they can within the physical human capacity to break the decking and connected rods. The LGA chairman and his team were around and they have gone to see how the Crain can be brought down. On ground are the SSG who just arrived , NSCDC, Police commissioner of police and the team, OSEMA, and other government dignitaries.”
Many people were feared trapped as a two-storey building collapsed in the Isale Eko area of Lagos state on Thursday, May 30.
The structure, which was alleged to have been defective, gave way following a fire in parts of Dosunmu Market on Lagos Island.
The Lagos territorial coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ibrahim Farinloye, who confirmed the incident, said 14 other buildings were seriously impacted by the fire.
He said emergency responders including the NEMA, Federal and State Fire Services, the Nigeria Police, and fire service of the Nigeria Ports Authority, were already at the scene of the event.
Four buildings had in April collapsed due to the intensity of the fire that engulfed part of Dosunmu Market on Lagos Island.
Two adult females and a baby have been trapped in a one-storey building that collapsed in the Ebute-Metta area of Lagos State.
This is just as one person has been rescued from the debris of the collapsed one-storey building with a penthouse.
Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, confirmed the incident in a statement, adding that efforts were underway to rescue the victims and the baby.
The statement read: “The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service is presently responding to an emergency reported at 09:00 hours at 122 Herbert Macaulay Way, Lagos Bus Stop, Ebute Meta, Lagos, where a one-storey building with a penthouse has collapsed.
“Two adults and a baby, all females, are currently trapped, and search and rescue efforts are underway.”
The rescue service director also noted that one adult female has been rescued successfully.
She said: “However, an adult female has been successfully rescued and is in stable condition, with the State Emergency Response fully activated.”
A building collapsed in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, yesterday leaving some people injured and some others trapped.
The structure, which was a two-storey building under construction suddenly collapsed and threw residents of Shogoye Bus Stop area, Bode community, in the city into panic.
The building was said to have collapsed around 5:54pm, while bricklayers and other artisans on site were rounding off for the day’s work.
Nobody was confirmed dead as at press time last night, but rescue efforts were ongoing.
Four of those who were trapped in the rubble were already rescued by men of the state fire service and volunteer rescuers.
The Nation learnt that some of trapped victims were making telephone distress calls from under the rubble. But when calls were made to one of the numbers a few minutes after, an eyewitness said there was no response.
The incident led to traffic gridlock in the area as motorists from Idi Arere and Oja ‘ba and those from Molete end of the city could not move freely.
As usual, crowd of sympathizers swarmed the scene, blocking the road.
Among those rescued are 42-year-old Olalekan Dauda, Tunde, Toheeb Gbadamosi and Rilwan Oladepo. Dauda said he was working with other artisans on the second floor when the building collapsed. He said he just heard a sudden blast and later found that he and others in the building were trapped in the rubble.
Gbadamosi, 19, said: “Today is my first time of working at this place. I just came around in order to raise some money for my upkeep because things were difficult. I thank God that I came out of the rubble alive”.
Two females, a 35-year-old and an 11-year-old girl by names Toyin Ogundimu and Sherifat Olalere, have died when a building collapsed at 9, Agbede Street, Markaz, Agege, Lagos, while one Mustapha Salaudeen was rescued and treated at the scene by the ambulance crew of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA.
The building which was said to be old and distressed came down yesterday afternoon.
Speaking to The Nation, the General Manager, LASEMA, Adeshina Tiamiyu, said the agency received a distress call via the emergency toll free number on at about 10.48 am concerning a building at No. 9 Abeje Street Markaz Agege. “This eases up the rapid activation of the agency’s Response Team to the scene of incident. Investigation carried out by the LASEMA Response Team at the scene of incident revealed that a distressed storey building suffered partial collapse at the backside,” he said.
Explaining that other occupants of the building were immediately evacuated, he advised occupants of residential buildings in the state not to ignore wreckage and cracks signs of building. He urged them to always respond to such promptly by calling the emergency toll free line 112/767 to avoid incidents such as this.
Six people, including an expectant mother, have reportedly died at Igbabo town of Arogbo-Ijaw in Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State in a church building collapse.
The expectant mother was identified as Dalen Gunubo.
The building was said to be under construction when it caved in and fell on the people below.
Sources said the Cherubim and Seraphim (C & S) church building was besieged by the some residents who were collecting the planks for propping it up for firewood.
An eyewitness and an information officer with Ese-Odo Local Government Area, Monday Konwei, said: “The victims were on the church premises to gather firewood, which were the planks used in the church building, before part of the dilapidated old structure and the one under construction fell and killed six people instantly.”
The Chairman of the local government’s Caretaker Committee, Bekewe Olowu, confirmed the development.
Olowu described the incident as shocking and devastating.
He condoled with the bereaved families and prayed to God to give the families the fortitude to bear the loss.
The chairman added that a resident, Chief Ola Golabo, lost his two wives – Beni and Magi – to the building collapse.
The traditional head of the community, High Chief Pose Tariwei Tanimawo, described the incident as most unfortunate.
According to him, it had thrown the community into mourning.
He urged the government to assist the residents in their trying moment.