In a tragic incident on Saturday, seven individuals lost their lives in Vidaz Estate, Sabon Lugbe, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), when an uncompleted storey building collapsed. The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Department (FEMD) confirmed the fatalities in a statement released yesterday.
Reports from the agency have clarified that earlier media claims suggesting that 40 people were trapped in the debris were inaccurate. The collapsed structure was under construction and had previously been flagged for demolition by the Department of Development Control, prompting urgent calls for intervention from government agencies and emergency responders.
Nkechi Isa, the Head of Public Affairs for FEMD, issued a statement on Sunday, saying, “FEMD wishes to clarify that the said structure located at Gidash Estate was one of the buildings earmarked for removal by the Department of Development Control.”
The Acting Director General of FEMD, Abdulrahman Mohammed, provided further details at the site of the incident, explaining that the seven victims were scavenging for iron rods and other building materials at the time of the collapse. “What happened is that the structure was marked for removal by development control. So these boys took advantage of the fact that there would be no demolition exercise at the weekend and moved in to strip the iron rods in the pillars holding up the building, leading to the unfortunate incident,” he stated.
The Chairman of the Miyetti Allah association in the FCT, Mohammed Hussein, confirmed that the remains of five members of the association were recovered from the wreckage. This incident has reignited concerns over building safety regulations and the adherence to demolition orders in the FCT, highlighting the risks posed by unauthorized scavenging in construction zones.
The FEMD has urged the public to respect building regulations and warned against the dangers of entering structures marked for demolition. The government is expected to take further action to prevent such tragedies in the future, reinforcing the importance of adhering to safety protocols in construction and demolition practices.
