Wednesday tragedy: Abuja collapsed wall claims 2, 4 rescued

FAVOUR ISHEMBER, Abuja

Two persons died and four others have been rescued in a building collapse at Ademola Adetokunbo Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja.

Officials of the FEMA, NEMA, Federal Fire Service, Nigeria Police Force, NSCDC and some volunteers were seen by our correspondent on Wednesday searching through the rubble for possible survivors.

Speaking with the Director General of  FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Dr Abbas Idriss in a telephone interview, he said: “Between 10 to 11 am, we received a distress call of collapse building around that Area, beside the UBA.”

“So we have to draft our rescue team to quickly go there. On getting there, they discovered it was actually a wall that fell on those artisans working around that area,” Idriss continued.

“So far, 6 people were removed from the rubbles, two were fatally injured and four are in the hospital.”

On whether any fatal case was recorded, he said two people have been confirmed dead while four persons were injured.

According to Idriss, the said building was “still under construction, at the foundation level when it collapsed, [and it] ate into the next building, the adjoining building and the wall fell on them.”

While addressing the cause, Idriss explained that the building collapsed because its developers ate into the next building, encroaching on another building. 

The FEMA boss said that “eating into the next building” was the cause of the collapse, as it is not their building that fell, but the neighbours’ building that fell on them.

On actions taken to forestall a recurrence, he said: “The best we could do is to sensitise the people on what to do and

Idriss said they would also call on the stakeholders, including the approving officers and agencies, development control, engineering services and other agencies, to ensure they give the proper approval.

He also said FEMA would monitor the construction going on in every location, as that is the only way to go.

“Because the approval is supposed to be in phases. As you give approval in phase one when they do according to specification, you now give approval for the second phase. 

“That is what it should be, but by giving blank approval to just go and start building, they can build with whatever material they deem fit.”

“But in this case, we are not talking about the use of bad materials or inferior materials but is because they have extended their building space to eat into the neighbour’s wall,” he added.

He, however, advised developers to fear God in their dealings considering that they built the houses not for their families to occupy but for other third parties to occupy.

The FEMA boss warned that if they kill innocent people, God will not hold them guiltless.

Most importantly, he said developers should obey the laws of the land, especially as regards the laid down building rules.

Asked if there will be sanctions, the FEMA boss said: “Definitely, all of them have laws that apply sanctions and I am also calling on all the responsible agencies to apply their own laws so that defaulters can be sanctioned.

Meanwhile, An unnamed commercial bus driver has been confirmed dead in an accident involving two yellow-coloured vehicles known as ‘danfo’ and a government-owned BRT bus.

The accident, which occurred around the Ogudu area of Lagos State, grounded vehicular movement and caused snake-like gridlock along the ever-busy axis connecting the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The BRT bus went up in flames, compounding the traffic situation along the axis.

The Spokesman for the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Adebayo Taofiq in a telephone chat with Channels Television blamed the accident on over speeding by the buses.

“The accident involved a BRT bus and two commercial buses,” he said.

“One of the drivers of the commercial buses died on the spot. There are passengers with minor injuries.

He said though the rain compounded the gridlock on the axis but LASTMA officials have been deployed to the accident scene to manage the traffic.