Fatal disaster: Neglected alerts blamed for loss of nine lives in Lagos building disaster

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A three-storey building collapsed on Thursday at Alakija in the Oriade Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, killing at least nine people, while 27 others were rescued alive. Emergency responders rushed to the scene as rescue operations continued amid emotional scenes and fears that more victims may still be trapped, CHIJIOKE IREMEKA reports

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Thursday, June 25, 2026, began like any other day until tragedy struck at about 11:40 a.m. in Alakija, Oriade LCDA, when a three-storey building collapsed, killing at least nine people, and 27 others were rescued alive even as residents claimed more victims remained trapped.

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The building, which was said to be over 45 years old, housed several businesses, including a cybercafé, a cold room, business centres, retail shops, a betting shop, and travel agencies.

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Saturday PUNCH gathered that the building, located at the junction of Old Ojo Road and the road leading to Festac and Navy Town, had become structurally deficient after a road expansion project, during which part of the structure was demolished.

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One of the soldiers assisting at the scene, who requested anonymity as he was not authorised to speak officially, said that since the road expansion project led to the partial demolition of the building, no reinforcement work had been carried out to stabilise the remaining structure.

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According to him, additional support pillars ought to have been constructed after the road project cut through part of the building, but this was not done.

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A shop owner, Kingsley Nwabueze, also told our correspondent that when the issue was raised with the landlord, he claimed that he needed government approval before carrying out reinforcement works. However, Nwabueze added that the approval for remedial work was only obtained two days before the collapse, insisting the intervention came too late.

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Several residents also blamed the landlord, alleging that repeated warnings about the deteriorating condition of the building were ignored.

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According to them, tenants had consistently drawn attention to visible signs of structural distress, but no meaningful action was taken.

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“Instead, the landlord continued to collect rent while neglecting necessary repairs that could have prevented the disaster,” one of the occupants of the plaza, Biodun Ademola, told Saturday PUNCH.

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Corroborating these accounts, the Head of Operations of the National Emergency Management Agency, Lagos Territorial Office, Mohammed Olatunde, said the structural integrity of the building had been compromised.

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He explained that the building, which was already old, reportedly developed structural defects, adding that occupants had been advised to vacate due to its condition but failed to do so before the tragedy occurred.

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“We learnt that the building had shown signs of imminent collapse for days, but the occupants remained inside. The collapse was bound to happen.

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“The building was old and had structural defects. People were advised to move out, but they remained until this unfortunate incident occurred,” he said.

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Meanwhile, rescue operations continued as anxious relatives, friends, and well-wishers gathered at the scene, desperately seeking information about the fate of those trapped beneath the rubble.

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The atmosphere remained tense and emotional, with colleagues and family members repeatedly calling the phones of victims in the hope of getting responses that could indicate their whereabouts. In some cases, phones rang, but there was no reply, while a few victims who managed to pick up were unable to explain their exact location under the debris.

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Many relatives and colleagues were seen pacing around in confusion as they searched desperately for loved ones, including sales representatives and apprentices who had been inside the building before it collapsed.

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Some survivors were rescued alive through the efforts of local youths and Hausa scavengers, who used manual tools to pull about five people from the rubble before official emergency responders arrived.

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During Saturday PUNCH’s visit to the scene, bodies were seen being placed in body bags and loaded into a white pickup ambulance after identification, while both conscious and unconscious victims were transported to the Navy Hospital in Ojo for treatment.

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The rescue operation involved a coordinated multi-agency response, including the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Nigeria Police Force, the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, the Nigerian Red Cross Society, the Lagos State Ambulance Service, and the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.

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Other construction firms also supported the operation, deploying four excavators to assist in the ongoing search and rescue efforts.

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18-year-old apprentice died a month after resumption

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Eighteen-year-old apprentice, Kamsi, was not among the 27 people rescued alive. Instead, he was counted among the nine victims who lost their lives in the disaster, and ended in body bags.

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He had been brought to his master, Nwabueze, for tutelage in a printing press before proceeding to the university, with his parents unaware that the workplace would eventually become his final destination.

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According to some of the residents at the scene, Kamsi had only been introduced to the trade by his father a month earlier after completing his secondary school education.

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Described as a diligent and hardworking apprentice, he was at work with his master in the ill-fated building on the day of the incident when tragedy struck.

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His master told Saturday PUNCH that he had stepped out briefly after receiving a phone call, only to learn minutes later that the building had collapsed.

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He said, “I got a call almost immediately after I left the shop. They said our building just collapsed. My thought went immediately to my boy because he was in the shop when I left. I started calling him, but he wasn’t picking up.

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“I ran back and kept calling until he was brought out dead. I was with him that morning and stepped out briefly after receiving a phone call. He was inside working when the tragedy struck.

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“His parents brought him just a month ago to learn printing while waiting for university admission. They came around and were grieving over his death.”

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He added that he had been in the printing business for years, noting that the collapsed shop was the only one he had, but was grateful to God for sparing his life.

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Bereaved mother mourns late son

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In a similar vein, a woman identified as Julie, whose son died in the rubble, was seen crying and wailing at the scene.

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According to her, she did not go to the market that day because she felt unwell when she woke up.

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“I didn’t come out today. I woke up and I wasn’t feeling well. Also, today (Thursday) is market environmental day. I stayed behind while my boy went to the shop as usual. I was at home resting when I started receiving calls.

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“I was told that our building had collapsed, so I rushed out to the shop. I have been here since 12 noon and I have not heard anything about my boy. I have asked around, and my neighbours said they have not seen him.

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“His phone wasn’t going through. I have been calling. I have a cyber café here and he is the only one who went out to open the shop. I was still hoping and praying for his survival, but it ended in tears. He has been confirmed dead. His body was in the ambulance,” she cried.

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For Lotana Okorie, he initially believed his neighbour, Igwe, had escaped the tragedy after he asked him to step out of the building shortly before the collapse. Sadly, he did not survive.

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“I got to the building that morning and noticed that the floor tiles around the entrance were lifting, as if something was pushing them up from underneath. I refused to enter the shop and called him outside. I told him I didn’t understand what was happening to the building.

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“After that, I left, and in less than three minutes, the building collapsed. I was convinced he had escaped until people started saying he had died.

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“They said he had already stepped outside when a block fell on his head, killing him. He was among the first victims whose bodies were recovered. I believe there are other people still trapped,” he said.

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Resident recounts narrow escape

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Another resident, Jeff Okoro, narrowly escaped death after deciding not to enter the building to repair his faulty phone.

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Okoro said he had planned to visit a phone repairer in the collapsed building that morning, but changed his mind at the last minute.

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He added that it was only after he entered his own shop opposite the building that he heard a loud crashing sound, followed by a thick cloud of dust that engulfed the area.

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“The building had been showing signs of distress for some time. Even while climbing the staircase, you could tell that something was wrong, yet people still lived and worked there,” he said.

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He further noted that the number of casualties might have been higher but for the weekly environmental sanitation exercise, which kept many people indoors.

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‘Hospital filled to capacity’

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Speaking exclusively to Saturday PUNCH, an instructor with the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Lagos Branch, Celestina Ekuma, described the rescue operation as one of the most challenging she had witnessed.

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“This is not a pleasant experience because a lot of people were trapped. At one point, the Navy Hospital was filled to capacity, forcing us to take victims to other hospitals.

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“I have lost count of the number of victims we have evacuated and referred to hospitals. It has been a very difficult operation.

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“One of the excavator operators was a bit careless at some point, and people became angry and started throwing stones at him. Crowd control has been a major challenge here. Although all the relevant government agencies are on the ground, managing the crowd has been difficult,” she said.

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She further stated that there was no need for excessive noise or unnecessary movement around the rescue scene, noting that the atmosphere remained tense as several people were still trapped beneath the rubble.

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She added that for over two hours, all the victims brought out were unconscious, stressing that rescuers were making every effort to save more people while remaining hopeful that additional survivors could still be found alive.

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She noted that at about 7pm, the last survivor, identified simply as Bridget, was rescued alive after spending about seven hours trapped beneath the rubble.

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In all, about 27 people were pulled out alive during the rescue operation, while nine people lost their lives.

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Lagos orders demolition of distressed buildings

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As a preventive measure, the Lagos State Government has ordered the demolition of all buildings marked as distressed around the collapsed three-storey.

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Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, disclosed this during an inspection of the site.

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He sympathised with the families of the victims, expressing the governor’s condolences and describing the incident as unfortunate.

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He noted that the collapsed building had earlier been marked as structurally distressed and occupants were instructed to vacate the premises, but the warning was allegedly ignored.

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He added that all other buildings already identified as unsafe in the area would be demolished to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.

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Owner to face prosecution

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Omotoso said the owners of the collapsed building, as well as anyone found to have violated building regulations or obstructed enforcement efforts, would be prosecuted.

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He disclosed that the cause of the collapse was still under investigation, while survivors were receiving treatment in various hospitals.

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The commissioner also condemned the construction of buildings under high-tension electricity lines, describing the practice as dangerous and unacceptable.

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“You cannot build under high-tension power lines. It is dangerous and unacceptable in any civilised society. It shows disregard for the law, and the government will not tolerate it,” he said.

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He urged residents occupying buildings around the collapse site to relocate immediately and comply with government safety directives, stressing that the protection of lives remained a top priority.

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In the same vein, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, commended emergency responders and security personnel for their dedication throughout the rescue operation.

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He directed occupants of the two-storey and one-storey buildings adjacent to the collapsed structure to vacate immediately as a safety precaution.

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Oke-Osanyintolu also ordered residents in buildings located beneath high-tension electricity lines in the area to evacuate without delay, warning that the structures would be affected by the government’s planned demolition and enforcement exercise.

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Also present during the inspection was the Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Gbenga Oyerinde, who praised first responders for their professionalism and commitment.

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The Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide, also insisted that those found responsible for the collapse would be prosecuted.

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He stated that the building had previously been marked, adding that any government officials or other persons found to have failed in their duties would be held accountable.

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“We will prosecute everyone found culpable. The building had been marked, and anyone, whether in government or elsewhere, who failed to ensure the right thing was done will be held accountable. We are also going to demolish the remaining part of the structure to prevent further danger,” he said.

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