One arrested after Enugu building collapse kills squatter - Punch Newspapers
• The partially collapsed building. Photo: Dan Nwomeh
The Enugu State Government has confirmed that the representative of the developer of a collapsed building in the Independent Layout area of Enugu has been handed over to the police for questioning. The building, which collapsed around 6am on Sunday, killed one person, while four others were rescued alive and taken to a hospital. PUNCH Metro gathered from a statement by Manzo Ezekiel, on behalf of the National Emergency Management Agency press unit, that emergency responders were informed on arrival that some people were trapped beneath the rubble. The rescue team immediately commenced search and rescue operations, with an excavator later mobilised to assist in removing the debris. The agency said that by 11:20am, the joint rescue team had recovered the body of a male victim from the collapsed structure. “As of 11:20 a.m., the joint rescue team successfully recovered the lifeless body of one male victim from the collapsed structure. “Rescue operations are still ongoing as emergency responders continue to search through the debris to ascertain whether other victims remain trapped beneath the rubble,” Ezekiel stated. Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to the Enugu State Governor on Media, Dan Nwomeh, confirmed in an update shared on Facebook on Sunday that a representative of the property owner had been handed over to the police in connection with the incident. Nwomeh, who quoted the Executive Chairman of the Enugu Capital Territory Development Agency, Uche Anya, said the collapse involved a developer who allegedly failed to comply with building regulations. According to Anya, the property was approved in 2021 but had been sealed by the agency for about six months after officials discovered structural integrity issues and non-compliance with the approved plan. “This property collapsed in the early hours of the morning. We arrived here around 6am. When we arrived, we met one of the securitymen, who said that six people slept in the uncompleted property, but one of them was not around when the incident occurred,” he said. Anya said four people had been rescued and taken to hospital, while responders continued searching for another possible victim. Quacks behind 95% of building collapses – Experts Lagos moves to enforce building standards One killed, others trapped in Enugu building collapse “Meanwhile, this property was approved in 2021 before the advent of this administration. But usually, we have a habit of stocktaking, checking on every construction at every stage. When I personally led the team that inspected here, we found out that there were serious integrity issues and non-compliance with their 2021 approval,” Anya said. He said he personally issued the first stop-work order, leading to the sealing of the property. According to him, the owner’s representative, who was said to reside abroad, had been engaging the agency for between 30 and 40 days to address the regulatory issues before the building collapsed. He added that the representative had been handed over to the police to assist with the investigation. “I have handed the representative to the police, not necessarily for detention, but to help with the investigation. But this is really a very unfortunate situation,” Anya said. Nwomeh also quoted the Director of the Enugu State Fire Service, Okwudiri Oha, as commending the swift response of emergency agencies and the mobilisation of rescue equipment to the scene. Oha said the security guard informed rescuers that six people were supposed to be at the site, but one had left before the collapse. “We were able at that initial time to rescue four persons. Out of the four, two sustained minor injuries and they were all rushed to a health facility for proper checks,” he said. He added that rescuers later recovered another person from the rubble, whose condition was initially yet to be confirmed. “Then, as you have seen, we have been working. The last person we just recovered was the fifth person. It is when you get to a health facility that you know whether he is still alive,” Oha stated. The Executive Secretary of the Enugu State Emergency Management Agency, Chinasa Mbah, said the entire wreckage would be excavated to ensure that no victim remained trapped beneath the debris. “We are going to excavate everything because you can see the machines that the government brought. We will excavate everything to ensure no survivor or body is left,” she said. Johnson Idowu Johnson Idowu is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with over four years of experience covering politics, education, metro, and environment. He specializes in producing insightful and well-researched reports that inform and engage readers. Johnson’s work reflects hands-on newsroom experience, editorial insight, and a dedication to accurate, audience-focused journalism.
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