· 7 confirmed dead
· Police, FEMD differ on collapsed location
· FCTA dismisses report of ‘40 trapped’
By Sarah NEGEDU
At least seven persons have reportedly lost their lives after a building collapsed on them in the Sabon Lugbe area of the Federal Capital Territory on Saturday evening.
Initial reports claimed that over 40 persons were trapped in the rubble when the multi-storied building collapsed at about 5pm on Saturday evening.
Eyewitnesses claimed that people around the area had to embark on rescue operations following delayed response from emergency agencies.
However, the FCT Administration claimed that the incident happened after some scavengers, popularly referred to as Baban Bola, swamped on an illegal structure that was recently demolished by the Development Control Department, for land use contraventions.
Director of the department, Tpl. Mukhtar Galadima, said over 500 scavengers descended on the demolished structure scrambling for iron rods and other metals, when the remains of a slab fell on them.
Galadima, in an explanatory note, described reports that several persons were trapped in the rubble as mere propaganda, explaining that the subject structure was an uncompleted building which had been demolished by the Department on Thursday.
He said, “This is to bring to the notice of the Department that the media publication with respect to collapse of a multi-storied building in Lugbe is just a propaganda.
“The subject building is within the site currently under demolition and the subject structure was an uncompleted building which was demolished on Thursday.
“Information gathered is that he site recorded mass influx of scavengers (over 500) in number pulling down and carting away remains of iron rods. Their activities triggered the remains of a demolished slab to fall on them.”
The incident seems to have caused some confusion amongst security operatives and first responders, as the agencies failed to harmonise their findings from the incident.
While a statement from the FCT Police Command on Sunday morning claimed that there were no casualties in the building collapse, the FCT Emergency Management Department, FEMD, reported that seven persons died.
The lack of cohesion became more evident when both government agencies named two separate estates as sites of the Saturday night building collapse.
While the FEMD in a statement on Sunday afternoon claimed that the incident happened at the Gidash Estate in Lugbe, the police claimed that the collapsed building was situated in Vidaz Estate, within the Sabon Lugbe extension.
An earlier statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Josephine Adeh, claimed that a total of five persons were successfully rescued from the debris, and there were no fatalities.
The statement released Sunday morning stated that, “The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has confirmed the collapse of a building situated in Vidaz Estate, within the Sabon Lugbe extension, FCT. Our preliminary investigations reveal that the building was previously demolished by the FCT Authorities due to its location in an illegally acquired area.
“Regrettably, the structure was further compromised by scavengers who had been tampering with the remnants for scrap metal, ultimately leading to its secondary collapse.
“A total of five individuals were successfully rescued from the debris, and there were no reported fatalities.”
Meanwhile, a statement from the FCT Emergency Management Department, FEMD, claimed that the structure was located at Gidash Estate, and was one of the buildings earmarked for removal by the Department of Development Control.
The statement signed by the Head of Public Affairs of the department, Nkechi Isa, dismissed as untrue media reports that 40 persons were trapped in the rubble of the collapsed building.
Isa, who quoted the Ag. Director General of FEMD, Engr Abdulrahman Mohammed, said “seven persons who were scavenging for iron rods and other building materials lost their lives in the process.
“What happened is that the structure was marked for removal by development control. So these boys taking advantage of the fact that there would be no demolition exercise at weekend, moved in to strip the iron rods in the pillar holding up the building leading to the unfortunate incident.”
She further quoted Engr Mohammed as claiming that that, “the Chairman Miyetti Allah, FCT chapter, Mohammed Hussein, confirmed to FEMD that 5 members of the association were removed dead from the rubble. 7 other persons were rescued alive from the rubble of the collapsed building.”
The FEMD has since called off its search and rescue operation after excavation of the incident site revealed that there were no persons trapped in the rubble.
The FEMD boss appealed to scavengers to avoid demolition sites and allow the FCTA carryout the removal of structures to avert a reoccurrence of the unfortunate incident.
