THE Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has concluded search, rescue and recovery operations at the site of the collapsed two-storey building at Alakija Bus Stop, Satellite Town, rescuing 27 persons alive and recovering nine bodies.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the building collapsed at about 12:47 p.m. on Thursday in the Amuwo-Odofin area of Lagos.
LASEMA, in a statement issued on Friday by its Head of Public Affairs, Afolabi Olawale, said the agency immediately activated its emergency response teams.
It said its Sharks Response Team from Lekki Base and Alpha Cobra Squad from Onipanu arrived at the scene within 40 minutes alongside other emergency responders.
According to the agency, emergency responders involved in the operation included the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) and the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority.
Others are the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps, Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Red Cross and the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).
LASEMA said all 27 rescued victims received immediate pre-hospital care from LASAMBUS before being taken to nearby hospitals for further treatment.
It said the fatalities comprised four adults confirmed dead before emergency responders arrived and five additional victims, including a two-year-old girl, recovered during the rescue operation.
According to the agency, the remains were handed over to the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit for identification and release to their families.
It said its heavy-duty excavator complemented two excavators deployed by CCECC, enabling responders to safely access trapped victims and complete the operation.
The agency said rescue operations ended at about 4:00 a.m. on Friday after responders reached ground zero.
It added that the Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations and the Permanent Secretary of the ministry provided strategic oversight throughout the operation.
LASEMA also said Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had directed LASBCA to immediately assess the structural integrity of adjoining buildings and enforce compliance with building regulations in the area.
The agency expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and wished the injured speedy recovery.
It urged residents to promptly report distressed buildings to LASBCA or through LASEMA’s toll-free emergency lines, 112 and 767, to help prevent similar incidents.
The ICIR reports that the incident adds to growing concerns over building safety and enforcement of construction standards in Lagos, where authorities have repeatedly pledged stricter oversight to prevent similar tragedies.
Building collapses remain a recurring challenge in Nigeria’s commercial capital, often linked to structural defects, substandard construction materials, poor regulatory compliance, or inadequate maintenance.
The ICIR reported how regulatory failures fuels building collapses in the state and other parts of Nigeria.
History of building collapses in Lagos
Lagos State has a long history of building collapses and accompanying human casualties and loss of valuables. The ICIR investigation revealed that regulatory failure is largely responsible for these preventable tragedies. The disasters happen almost yearly with alarming tolls.
The ICIR reported how eight building collapsed under the watch of the state former Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Idris Salako, a doctor, under whose watch many buildings gave way. He resigned over continuous crumbling of buildings in the state.
The state government often reacts after a building has caved in, with threats to pull down substandard structures.
In 2019, the state government vowed to pull down old buildings at the Ita Faji area of Lagos Island after a three-storey building collapsed.
A two-storey building, located at No. 54 Cole Street, near Cemetery Bus Stop, collapsed in the early hours of Monday, October 27, trapping several occupants under the rubble when many of its occupants were asleep.
A five-storey building fell in the state in April 2023 at Ladipo Oluwole Street in the GRA area of Apapa.
At least five people died after another building gave way on Wilson Mba Street, Arowojobe Estate Maryland in July 2024.
In September 2022, a three-storey building collapsed on Sonuga Street, Palm Avenue, Mushin, Lagos. Two people were rescued from its rubbles.
No fewer than two people died following the collapse of a seven-storey building in the Lekki area of Lagos in September 2022.
What appears the most tragic of building collapse in the state in recent years was the 21-storey building under construction which crumbled and killed its owner and others at the Ikoyi area of the state in November 2021.
All these happened under the watch of successive governments and the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) “set up to ensure that basic minimum standards are maintained in building construction and renovation of existing and new buildings to be safe, healthy, accessible and habitable for present and future generations.
“The agency works together with developers/owners to provide a highly quality service and make sure that all buildings are satisfactorily carried out,” according to information on its website.
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Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ mfatunmole@icirnigeria.org