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Lagos Building Collapse: 10 Bodies Recovered, 24 Rescued Alive

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A distressed three-storey building, which collapsed in the Ebute Metta area of Lagos State, has claimed the lives of 10 tenants, including a member of the National Youth Service Corps, identified only as Oluwakemi.

No fewer than 24 occupants were also injured in the tragic incident, which happened on Sunday.

While some of the injured victims were treated on the spot and discharged, others who sustained severe injuries, after being stabilised by emergency responders at the incident scene, were rushed to a general hospital for further treatment.
PUNCH Metro gathered that occupants of the three-storey building were in their various apartments when it caved in around 9.30pm.

While some occupants were lucky enough to navigate their way out of the collapsed structure, others were trapped beneath the rubble.

Before the arrival of emergency responders, some members of the community searched the rubble and rescued the trapped victims.

One of the survivors, Isaac Irhrhi, who escaped death by a whisker, said he came out with members of his family.

He said, “I am speechless; I give glory to God for being alive. Friends, children, mothers have died, but my family and I came out alive. When the building collapsed, it sounded like thunder as everything went down.

“My flat is on the last floor, so I was able to break the ceiling to create a way to see outside. My wife, child and neighbours were calling me, so I directed them to where I was and started pulling them out. Aside from my wife and child, I was able to pull two neighbours out of the rubble.”

A mother of two, Kehinde Enifeni, a tenant in a house beside the collapsed building, said the structure fell and blocked the entrance to her flat, adding that she and her children escaped by breaking the window.

She said, “I was shocked when I heard the noise, but as I attempted opening the door, I couldn’t. I broke our fence and the structure fell on our compound and blocked our entrance, including the window of my parlour.

“I began crying; my husband started shouting my name and saying I should rush into the room. I quickly rushed there, got a knife, cut the net of the window in the room, but the window had burglary-proof bars.

“Suddenly, some guys came from nowhere and started breaking the burglary-proof bars and we all came out through the window. My neighbour, Alfa, and his family used a ladder to climb down into the compound because the rubble also blocked the entrance to his flat.”

Another resident, Lanre Shobaloju, said the tragedy occurred due to government negligence, lamenting that the building had been in a bad condition for years.

He said, “The government has been sealing and unsealing the place for more than four times. The last result, which is the collapse, is what they wanted and the building has killed people, including youths.

“One of my agents, Toheeb, lost his life. A young boy, Chinonso, also lost his life; Khalid, who was aspiring to go to university, also lost his life. LASBCA was here to seal the place and it is surprising that the agency still allowed people to reside in the building.

“There is a chance that the agency’s officials were bribed. The tragedy should have been averted if the tenants had been evacuated as I have been complaining that all the pillars and decking of the building had become weak.

“The house was built by a developer about 22 years ago and from what we gathered, the developer would have handed over the building to its owners on May 31 until it collapsed yesterday.”

Emergency responders, including the National Emergency Management Agency, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Services, Lagos State Building Control Agency, police, and Red Cross were sighted at the scene of the incident on Monday.

Our correspondent observed as two excavators driven by emergency officials made attempts to locate other trapped victims.

As the excavators dug deeper and pierced through concrete and iron rods, the lifeless bodies of 10 occupants, including children, were recovered and placed in body bags.

A crowd of onlookers and sympathisers were seen crying profusely as emergency officials carried the corpses in body bags into vehicles for onward transfer to a mortuary.

A trader in one of the shops in the affected building, Francis Egbuonu, while recounting his losses, said valuables amounting to N10m were lost to the incident.

He said, “I took delivery of new goods on Saturday and deposited them there to take to another location on Monday, but the building collapsed on Sunday and destroyed most of my goods valued at about N10m.”

The Punch

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Osun Govt Consoles Mohbad’s Family, Says Singer’s Death Unfortunate

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The Osun State Government, on behalf of the Governor, Senator Ademola Jackson Adeleke, has described the death of a promising young Nigerian artiste, IleriOluwa Oladimeji popularly known as Mohbad, as very unfortunate, especially considering the circumstances surrounding his demise.

The State Government, in a condolence message signed by the State Commissioner for Youth Affairs, Hon Olagunju Moshood Olalekan, on behalf of Governor Adeleke, urged concerned authorities not to be found wanting in ensuring speedy dispensation of justice so as to bring the perpetrators behind the death of the young Mohbad to book.

The Commissioner for Youth Affairs, however appreciate the Inspector General of Police, who gave an immediate order in ensuring that circumstances behind the death of the young artiste be investigated.

While also identifying with the bereaved family over the death of their son, Osun State Government commended youths in Osun who joined the rest of their counterparts all over Nigeia in staging a peaceful protest.

The State Government finally urged the youths to continue to thread the path of legal means of earning a living as opposed to illegality which may claim their lives.

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Wike Revokes Undeveloped Lands in Abuja; Obi, Bua, Tobi, Imoke Others Affected

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The Federal Capital Territory FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has announced the revocation of 167 plots of land in some highbrow districts of the nation’s capital, Abuja.

Areas affected are Maitama, Gudu, Wuye which had the highest revocation, 41; Katampe, Katampe Extension, Wuse 2, Jabi, Utako, Idu Industrial zone, and Asokoro which had the second highest revocation, 39.

In a notice issued Thursday night in Abuja, the administration said the plots were revoked due to the refusal or failure of their allottees to develop them.

“The Federal Capital Territory Administration FCTA hereby informs the general public that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory has, in the exercise of the powers conferred on him under Section 28(5)(a) & (b) of the Land Use Act 1978, revoked the underlisted plots with names and titles as reflected in our records for continued contravention of the terms of development of the Right of Occupancy to wit non-development”, the administration said in the notice signed by the Permanent Secretary, Mr Olusade Adesola.

Some of the plots revoked in Maitama district A05 had names like Liyel Imoke, Musa Aboki Egu, Hassan Hadejia and Ishaya Baba.

In Jabi, some of the plots revoked had allottees such as Sam Nda-Isaiah, and Donubari Josephine Kogbara, while Katampe district had Peter Gregory Obi, BUA international among others.

In other areas, this revoked had names as Julius Berger Nigeria, Honeywell Construction, Uffot Joseph Ekaette, Shittu Mohammed, Udoma Udo Udoma, Kanu Agabi, Niki Niki Tobi, Ishaku Bello, and others.

Wike had on assumption of office vowed to restore the master plan of the territory and revoke plots that had not been developed or those whose ground rents have not been paid for years.

He had consequently given a two-week grace to allottees to pay their ground rents or risk revocation of their allocations.

Vanguard

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Police Confirm Conclusion of Mohbad’s Autopsy, Await Result

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The Lagos State Police Command had said the autopsy conducted on Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, had been concluded.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed this to The Punch during a telephone conversation on Thursday.

He said, “Autopsy has been concluded. Awaiting results.”

Earlier on, while responding to an enquiry by the paper concerning arrests made by the police in connection with the late singer’s death, Hundeyin said, “I can’t answer questions on the arrests yet because I don’t have that update. However, the nurse is in our custody; I can confirm that.”

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