Four family members die in Kwara building collapse

Four members of the same family have died after a three-storey building collapsed at the Popo Giwa area of Ilorin, Kwara State, on Tuesday morning.

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The collapse occurred at about 5 a.m. at No. 41 Popo Giwa Street, beside Gogoro Mosque, trapping eight family members, according to the Kwara State Fire Service and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

The fire service said four people were rescued alive, while four others were recovered dead from the rubble.

The agency’s spokesperson, Hassan Adekunle, who spoke with reporters at the scene, said emergency responders were alerted to the incident at about 5 a.m.

“We have recovered four people dead and rescued four people alive,” Mr Adekunle said.

He said the fire service immediately mobilised to the scene and began rescue operations with other emergency agencies.

“This kind of situation is not something the fire service can handle alone,” he said, adding that officials of the Hospitals Management Board, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other agencies joined the operation.

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An excavator was deployed to the scene as rescuers worked to gain access to those trapped under the debris.

An eyewitness, Abdulganiy Musa, told PUNCH that the family’s father was a serving soldier, while the mother was a casual worker at the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies in Ilorin.

One of the children, identified as Firdaus, was among those rescued alive during the operation.

The SEMA Secretary, Magaji Saadudeen, also confirmed that eight people were trapped in the building.

“The rescued persons are receiving treatment presently,” Mr Saadudeen said.

He added that the bodies of the deceased and the rescued victims were taken to a hospital.

Building structure

The Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, said the collapsed section was the boys’ quarters of the three-storey building.

“It was a three-storey building that collapsed. Our findings showed that the boys’ quarter of the building collapsed. Information gathered revealed that eight people were trapped in the building,” Mr Adekimi said.

He said all occupants had been evacuated from the main building while authorities assessed the remaining structure.

“For now, the situation is under control. We will examine the remaining building and see how people can be secured. But for now, we have evacuated everybody from the main building,” the commissioner said.

He urged residents to pay attention to warning signs such as leakages and other structural defects and to evacuate buildings where they notice signs of possible failure.

Mr Adekunle said the actual cause of the collapse would be determined after a proper assessment of the structure.

“We are only here to ascertain the actual cause of this collapse and rescue the trapped victims. As at when due, we will communicate to the media about our findings,” he said.

He added that relevant authorities would take appropriate action if the assessment showed that the building required demolition.

Government reaction

During a visit to the scene, the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Lawal Olohungbebe, described the incident as unfortunate and expressed condolences to the victims’ families.

“The rescue mission began immediately after the collapse, and to the grace of God, some were rescued, but unfortunately, we have to take it as this,” he said.

Mr Olohungbebe said the road leading to the building was accessible, helping emergency responders reach the scene quickly.

“One of the things that made it very easy for us to rescue the few people we were able to rescue is the access route,” he said.

He urged residents and developers to comply with building and town-planning regulations, particularly requirements concerning access roads to residential areas.

The commissioner commended the Ministries of Health and Environment, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, SEMA, the National Emergency Management Agency, the Fire Service, the Civil Defence, the Red Cross, and other agencies involved in the rescue operation.

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The Chairman of Ilorin West Local Government Area, AbdulRahman Ladan, said six to seven ambulances were deployed to evacuate victims from the scene.

Mr Ladan urged residents to report structural defects promptly and leave buildings when they observe signs of possible collapse.

“Whenever you discover something like this, please escalate it. Get to the point of evacuating yourself and your family members from that building. Life is the priority,” he said.

He also advised developers to use high-quality building materials and engage qualified professionals to supervise construction, saying that compliance with building standards was essential to preventing structural failures.