THE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has confirmed that a three-storey building under construction collapsed on Friday night, September 12, 2025, at 333 Borno Street, Alagomeji, Yaba, Lagos State.
In a post on its X handle on Saturday, NEMA said the incident occurred around 8:30 p.m., trapping several people beneath the debris.
While eyewitness accounts vary, with some saying six people were trapped and others reporting five, emergency responders have so far rescued four adult males alive and taken them to the hospital for treatment.
“Teams from the National Emergency Management Agency, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and other responders quickly mobilised to the scene and commenced search and rescue operations,” the agency said.
NEMA said the number of people still trapped in the collapsed Yaba building is yet to be determined, but rescue operations are ongoing.
It stated that emergency officials have sealed off the site to ensure safety and smooth evacuation, while search efforts continued through the night with assurances that no effort would be spared to save lives.
Sadly, building collapses are a recurring problem in Lagos and other major Nigerian cities, frequently attributed to shoddy construction, the use of inferior materials, and weak regulatory oversight.
Records from the Lagos State government and civil society organisations indicate that dozens of such incidents are recorded each year, leading to fatalities, injuries, and displacement.
Authorities in Lagos have repeatedly cautioned developers against unsafe practices, with several buildings previously sealed for flouting building-related regulations.
Fatimah Quadri is a Journalist and a Fact-checker at The ICIR. She has written news articles, fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy in an effort to combat information disorder.
She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org