Lagos Government to Demolish Dangerous Buildings After Collapse

The Lagos State Government has announced plans to investigate the collapse of a three-storey building in the Alakija area. They will also prosecute anyone found responsible. The government is warning residents to take evacuation notices seriously, especially for buildings marked as dangerous.

Gbenga Omotoso, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, spoke to reporters on Friday at the incident site on behalf of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Omotoso expressed sympathy for the victims' families, calling the situation unfortunate. He said, "Our first duty is to commiserate with the families who lost their loved ones in this unfortunate incident. On behalf of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, we sympathise with them and pray that such a tragedy never occurs again."

He revealed that 27 people were rescued from the rubble, while nine others lost their lives despite efforts to save them. "By the grace of God, we have been able to rescue 27 people. Unfortunately, we lost nine persons and this is very sad. We share the pain of the affected families," he added.

According to Omotoso, the building had been marked as distressed and residents were told to evacuate. However, some occupants came back after leaving. "As you can see, these buildings had been marked as distressed and people were asked to leave. Unfortunately, some residents returned after pretending to have moved out, leading to this tragic outcome," he explained.

He announced that other unsafe buildings in the area would be demolished to avoid similar tragedies. "All the buildings that have been identified as defective will go down. We cannot wait until another tragedy occurs before taking action. The protection of lives remains our priority," he said.

Omotoso also criticized the building of homes under high-tension power lines, calling it unsafe. He said, "It is not done in any civilised society. Such developments show disregard for safety regulations and contempt for the law. Government will continue to clamp down on such violations."

He assured residents that a complete investigation into the collapse is underway. He emphasized that anyone found responsible will be prosecuted. "The owners of the building are under investigation. Anybody found complicit in this tragedy will face the law. They will be prosecuted because no one is above the law," he stated.

Omotoso mentioned that most of the rescued victims did not have serious injuries, while those needing more medical care were taken to the hospital. He praised the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the police, the military, neighbourhood safety personnel, and other emergency responders for their quick actions.

"I must commend all our emergency responders who worked tirelessly throughout the night to save lives and bring the situation under control," he said.

He urged residents to put safety first over making money. "The most important lesson from this incident is that nobody should prioritise livelihood over life. Once life is lost, everything is lost. No business is worth risking human lives for," he added.

Earlier reports noted that the building held shops and businesses and collapsed in the Alakija area, which triggered the state's emergency response. The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency initially reported that 26 people were rescued and eight others, including a baby girl, died. However, the latest update from the state government states that 27 were rescued and nine fatalities occurred.