Lagos building collapse: Owner got approval for only 15 floors, but built 21 floors; Buhari mourns; Rescuers make contact with some victims

Scene of the collapsed building

By Grace Alegba, Lagos,/Ismaila Chafe, Abuja/Fabian Ekeruche, Lagos Nov. 1, 2021

The General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Mr. Gbolahan Oki, says the owner of the collapsed 21-storey building, under construction in Ikoyi, was given approval to construct only 15 floors.

Oki told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone that the owner of the property has been arrested and would face the law because people have died in the disaster.

“He got an approval for a 15-storey building and he exceeded his limit. I am on ground here and the materials he used are so inferior and terrible.

“The materials he used, the reinforcement, are so terrible. He got approval for 15 floors but built 21.

“I think he has been locked down. He has been arrested before now,” he said.

The GM said four people were rescued alive and three people died, adding that rescue efforts were still ongoing.

“We are still here and have four machines working as at this moment,” he told NAN.

At least 50 people are reportedly trapped under the rubble after a 21-storey building collapsed in Ikoyi, Lagos State.

The building, located at 20, Gerrard Road, collapsed at about 3 p.m. on Monday.

Buhari mourns:

President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with families who have lost loved ones in the 21-storey building collapse in Lagos, while some are still trapped.

A statement by the president’s spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, on Monday in Abuja, said President Buhari shared the sad moment with people and Government of Lagos State, urging authorities to step up efforts in rescue operations.

He called on emergency institutions, including hospitals, to provide all the necessary support to safeguard the lives of the rescued.

The President prayed for God’s intervention in the ongoing rescue operations.

Rescue team makes contact:

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said it has established contact with some of the victims trapped in the building.

Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, NEMA Coordinator, South West, disclosed this to newsmen as the rescue operation in search of the victims intensified.

Farinloye said that the victim, who spoke to one of his relatives and confirmed by the rescue team, said some of them gathered around the mustard point in the building when it collapsed.

He noted that rescue operations had intensified, but with caution, to ensure that victims who were still alive would come out unhurt.