THE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command has confirmed the collapse of a building in Vidaz Estate, within the Sabon Lugbe extension, FCT.
According to the police, preliminary investigations revealed that the building was previously demolished by the FCT authorities due to its location in an illegally acquired area, but the structure was further compromised by scavengers who had been tampering with the remnants for scrap metal, leading to its collapse on Saturday, October 26.
This was disclosed in a statement released on Sunday, October 27, and signed by FCT police spokesperson, Josephine Adeh.
The police stated that five persons were successfully rescued from the debris, and there were no reported fatalities.
The police urge the public to respect the boundaries of demolished structures and construction sites to ensure safety and prevent similar occurrences in the future.
The ICIR reported on Saturday, October 26, that at least 40 people were reportedly trapped under the rubbles of the collapsed building in Sabon Lugbe, Abuja.
The incident occurred four days after the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, ordered the demolition of illegal buildings in the community.
Viral videos of the collapsed building show sympathisers attempting to see if they could rescue anyone from the debris.
The incident occurred a few months after a portion of a two-story residential building in the Kubwa neighbourhood of Abuja collapsed.
The ICIR reported that Wike ordered the demolition of all illegal buildings in the Sabon-Lugbe community on Tuesday, October 22.
Accompanied by heads of security agencies in the FCT, he paid an unannounced visit to the community, according to a statement signed by the assistant director, press, in the minister’s office, Rabi Musa Umar, and mailed to The ICIR after the visit.
The minister said buildings without proper documents from the FCT administration should be pulled down.
Describing the building owners as land grabbers, Wike noted that the structures were built without the approval of the development control department and in contravention of the land use provision of the FCT.
He further directed the director of the department of development control, Mukhtar Galadima, to work with security agencies and bring the structures down.
It is however not certain if the collapsed building has anything to do with the demolition order.
Some of the videos shared online from the tragedy show sympathisers blaming the minister for the collapse. A recent report by The ICIR highlighted major lapses in the FCT since Wike’s assumption of office as minister.
A reporter with the ICIR
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