Just In: Panic as Two-storey Building Collapses in Lagos, Videos, Photos Surface
- Panic gripped residents following the collapse of a two storey building in Mangoro area of Lagos state
- Legit.ng reports that Lagos state has an alarming frequency of building collapses over the past decade
- Leading the rescue team at Mangoro were personnel of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering metro.
Mangoro, Lagos state - A two-storey building has collapsed at Modupeola Street, Mangoro bus stop, Alimosho, Lagos state.
According to a statement on Wednesday night, September 24, signed by Gbenga Omotoso, the Lagos state commissioner for information and strategy, the cause of the incident, which occurred around 6pm, was not immediately known.
Source: Original
Omotoso said government officials have launched a probe into the incident.
Legit.ng gathered that the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA) and other first responders got to the scene and rescued a trapped victim and five others from the rubble.
The five who were rescued were taken to a private hospital in the neighbourhood. The trapped victim, who had a fracture and bruises, was taken to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH's) surgical emergency by the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS).
Omotoso said:
"He (the trapped victim) arrived the hospital in a stable condition and was immediately admitted for further treatment."
Lagos fire service reacts to incident
Meanwhile, a statement signed by Margaret Adeseye, the controller general of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, confirmed the incident, according to TVC News.
Adeseye said the structure was originally a bungalow before the new owner began a construction plan converting it into a two-storey building.
The agency disclosed that, thankfully, nobody died.
The statement partly reads:
“The incident involved a partial collapse at the rear of the building. The situation is currently under control.
“Responding units included the Ikeja Fire Station and Agege Fire Station. Five construction workers, all male adults rescued alive, sustaining varying degrees of injuries and were promptly transported to the hospital for treatment. No fatalities were recorded."
Source: Getty Images
Incessant building collapses in Lagos
In 2024, a building collapsed in Lagos once every two weeks on average.
While the commercial cost can be calculated, a figure can never be put on the value of the lives lost underneath the rubble.
There are regulations as well as maintenance schedules and inspectors, yet the collapses keep occurring.
Lagos state, dubbed by an expert as "the building-collapse capital of Nigeria", has seen at least 90 buildings collapse in the last 13 years, leaving more than 350 people dead, according to the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).
One of the most notorious incidents was in 2021 when a 21-storey building owned by Femi Osibona collapsed.
Expert assessses frequent building collapse
An expert in the building indutry has expressed deep concern over the recurring incidents of building collapse in Nigeria.
Speaking in a interview with Legit.ng, Engr. Salami Opeyemi, a seasoned civil engineer, shared how to curb the menace.
He explained to Legit.ng:
"Adequate cost need to be established for the structure to be put in place by the quantity surveyor even before the commencement of building construction.
"Another thing is enforcing adequate regulatory committee to monitor construction process from foundation to finishing, such as the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA).
"Also, material specified by the structural engineer has to be tested.
"We also need to avoid more floors on existing building without checking the structural stability of existing foundation which is so common in Lagos nowadays. Safety must be put in place during the construction process right from foundation.
"Another thing is the avoidance of compromising the specified foundation by the structural engineer. For instance, if the design specified pile foundation, there must not be any short cut of using raft foundation to replace it."
Building collapse in Ibadan
In July, Legit.ng reported that a three-storey building collapsed in Lagos Island.
The incident caused panic and injuries to several occupants.
The structure, located on Asesi Lane around the Adeniji Adele Road, went down suddenly.
Source: Legit.ng
