Kehinde Fajobi
The FCT Police Command has confirmed the rescue of five individuals from the rubble of a collapsed building at Vidaz Estate in Abuja’s Sabon Lugbe Extension.
The incident occurred around 5 p.m. on Saturday, initially sparking reports that up to 40 people may have been trapped inside.
FCT Police Public Relations Officer SP Josephine Adeh stated that preliminary investigations indicated the building had previously been demolished by FCT authorities for being located in an illegally acquired area.
“The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has confirmed the collapse of a building situated in Vidaz Estate, within the Sabon Lugbe extension, FCT. Our preliminary investigations reveal that the building was previously demolished by the FCT authorities due to its location in an illegally acquired area,” Adeh said in her statement on Sunday.
She further explained that scavengers had been tampering with the remains of the structure, searching for scrap metal, which led to the building’s secondary collapse.
“A total of five individuals were successfully rescued from the debris, and there were no reported fatalities. In light of this incident, we urge the public to respect the boundaries of demolished structures and construction sites, ensuring their safety and preventing similar occurrences in the future,” Adeh added.
Meanwhile, FCT Director of Development Control Muktar Galadima dismissed rumours that a newly-constructed building had collapsed, calling such claims “propaganda.”
In his own statement on Sunday, Galadima clarified that the site had been under demolition since Thursday.
“This is to bring to the notice of the Department that the media publication regarding the collapse of a multi-storey building in Lugbe is just propaganda. The subject building is within the site currently under demolition, and the subject structure was an uncompleted building that was demolished on Thursday,” he said.
Galadima noted that information suggested over 500 scavengers had entered the site in search of iron rods, which ultimately destabilised the remains of a demolished slab, causing it to collapse on them.
“Information gathered indicates that the site recorded a mass influx of scavengers (over 500 in number) pulling down and carting away the remains of iron rods. Their activities triggered the remains of a demolished slab to fall on them,” Galadima stated.