Collapse seven-storey building: Two dead bodies recovered as Lagos Govt orders arrest of developer, professionals

Emergency responders have recovered two dead bodies from the rubbles of a building that collapsed in the early hours of Sunday in Lekki, Lagos State.

Zonal Coordinator South West, National Emergency Management Agency, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, said this to newsmen on Sunday in Lagos.

Farinloye said the seven-storey building under construction collapsed at Oba Idowu Oniru Street, Lekki.

He said operations were ongoing to rescue the remaining trapped persons under the rubbles.

Emergency responders at the scene included the Nigerian Police Force, NEMA, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, State Fire Service and the Lagos State Building Control Agency.

In the meantime, the Lagos State government has ordered arrest of the developer and building professionals working on the collapsed building. The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Idris Salako, made this known in a statement on Sunday.

The statement read in part, “The Commissioner said the developer and professionals on the building were liable for their disregard for the planning laws of the state, having embarked on construction without a valid Planning Permit and ignoring official warnings against continuing the building works.

“He emphasised that under no circumstances should anyone construe the filling of Application for Permit through the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority as a ticket to commence construction as there must be a valid Planning Permit from the aforementioned agency, in addition to letter of Authorisation, stage inspection at every stage and certification by the Lagos State Building Control Agency to ensure that construction works were carried out in conformity with the approval granted.

“He noted that while the State Government was investigating the circumstances surrounding the collapse, the police had started a manhunt for the developer and all professionals involved in the project such as architects, builders or engineers who are on the project.

“Salako expressed concern with the pace of disregard for law and order by actors in the built sector, stressing that the State Government was determined to restore sanity and orderliness to the sector, where it had declared incidents of building collapse intolerable.