LAGOS — Six months after a building at Jakande estate, Oke-Afa , Isolo area of Lagos collapsed, killing two sisters, another two-storey building collapsed, Monday evening in the same zone.

This makes it a total of five buildings that have collapsed in one week, in Lagos.


Debris of the collapsed building.
Although no casualty was recorded  as the occupants had reportedly vacated the building which was marked for demolition last December, but Vanguard gathered that one of the occupants, a man with an undisclosed identity escaped death by the whiskers as the building collapsed barely after he came to remove his remaining property.


An eye witness who identified herself as Mrs Adekoya, told Vanguard that the building collapsed at about 6 p.m.

According to her, “the building, block M 16, was marked for demolition and the occupants advised to leave immediately. But they packed out about three weeks ago.

“Yesterday (Monday),  I came out to check on my puppies and was contemplating on going to the building to pick some woods removed from the roof but decided to wait. All of a sudden, I noticed the building caving in. Initially,  I thought an excavator was in front demolishing it. It was later that we discovered it caved in on its own. But we are grateful to God that nobody was around the building then,” she said.

Vanguard, however, observed that about nine other building in the zone were marked for demolition. The affected buildings includ Blocks M  11, 12, 15, 18, 19, 23 ,  22, 23 and  26.

Among the marked buildings, occupants on blocks M 11 and 23 have vacated following cracks on the walls which signified imminent collapsed.

Residents of the area  have however, expressed fear that the electric cables and naked wires in the collapsed building could  electrocute anyone who stepped on them, pointing out that there was still power in the building when the incident occurred.. They also expressed worry that since the incident, official of the Power Holdings Plc had not shown up to disconnect the electric cables in the collapsed building from the wires.

When contacted, the Lagos State spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency, Ibrahim Farinloye  told vanguard that another three building collapsed Sunday, on Badmus street, Liverpool estate,in Ojo area of Lagos. No casualty according to him was recorded.

He advised Lagosians to avoid taking refuge under buildings, particularly those marked or considered as dangerous, in order to avoid been trapped during likely collapsed.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/05/another-building-collapses-in-lagos/