Five-storey Building Collapses in Lagos

Rebecca Ejifoma

A five-storey building under construction at 45 Ladipo Oluwole in the Apapa GRA, Lagos State, yesterday collapsed.

This tragic incident is coming barely 72 hours after a seven-storey building caved in on the Banana Island area of the state.

According to the Lagos State Government, the developer ignored the ‘stop work and seal up orders’ of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA).

The physical planning incident management had flagged the incident on its platform yesterday evening.

“This triggered immediate preliminary inquiries that showed that officers of LASBCA had issued a number of contravention notices: ‘stop work and seal up orders’, which the developer ignored and carried on with construction without any recourse whatsoever to the authorities,” the statement added.

While there was no casualty record, the agency has cordoned off and taken over the site.

The state Deputy Director of Public Affairs Ministry for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mukaila Sanusi, warned that this particular incident, like similar others, reinforces the government’s repeated calls for responsible behaviour on the part of all stakeholders in the built environment.

“The state government has immediately activated inquiries into the collapse to unravel the minute details and guide appropriate actions,” he added.