September 05, (THEWILL) – The death toll from the Lagos building collapse has risen to five, emergency officials said on Monday.
THEWILL had reported that a seven-story building in Oba Idowu Street, Oniru, Victoria Island collapsed on Sunday.
Some of the workers who escaped from the incident claimed that six of their colleagues were trapped under the rubble of the collapsed building.
While emergency responders had recovered two bodies at the site on Sunday, three more bodies have been retrieved from the site.
Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, in a statement on Monday, said the agency has been working closely with first responders and other officials within the past 24 hours.
“The Agency alongside other first responders has been working for over 24 hours at the above 7-story building which collapsed yesterday.
“Another three bodies have been extricated from the rubble bringing the fatalities to five. The painstaking process is ongoing. Further updates to follow”, he said.
Meanwhile, the State Government has ordered the arrest of the developer and other building professionals who worked on the collapsed building
The former Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Idris Salako, who ordered the arrests during his visit to the site on Sunday, said the developer and other professionals violated the state’s planning laws.
“There must be a valid Planning Permit from the aforementioned agency, in addition to a letter of Authorisation, Stage inspection at every milestone and certification by the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), to ensure that construction works were carried out in conformity with the approval granted,” he added according to a statement issued by the ministry on Sunday.
“Disclosing that investigation has been initiated to determine the cause of the building collapse, Salako said the Police are on the trail of the developer and all professionals involved in the project such as architects, builders, and engineers,” the statement noted.
“The Commissioner expressed concern at the level of disregard for the law in the built sector, affirming that the State Government will restore sanity and orderliness to the sector because it has zero tolerance for building collapse.
“He enjoined Lagosians to join hands with the State Government in maintaining vigilance in the built environment by reporting any untoward developments in their vicinity, through any of the Ministry or State Government communication channels, particularly the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development (MPP&UD App) and the Lagos State Building Control Agency,” Salako had said on Sunday.
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