18th January, 2020
Eze Christian, who lived on the ground floor of an uncompleted building on Alasepe Street, off Community Road, Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos State has narrated his near-death experience when the three-storey building collapsed on Friday.
Christian said he was jolted from his sleep by the bang of the collapse around 8 am.
“I was sleeping when I heard a loud sound. It was as if I was dreaming. I opened the door and ran out. While I was trying to escape, some bricks fell on my leg. One person was trapped but he had been rescued. His leg broke,” he said.
A neighbour, Ijedu Nnaya, said his in-law was trapped in the building but was rescued by firefighters, Punch reported.
“He was rushed to a hospital. The foundation of the building was weak,” he added.
While the rescue operation was ongoing in Okota, a two-storey building collapsed in Agarawu on Lagos Island.
The Director-General, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Oluwafemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed the two incidents.
He said the two-storey building collapsed due to the lack of maintenance and structural defect and noted that no life was lost at the scenes.
“However, there was no loss of life at the scenes. LASEMA, Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps, the Nigeria Police and LASAMBUS responded to the incidents,” Oke-Osanyintolu added.