Enugu govt demolishes sinking three-storey building

The Enugu State government, on Saturday, demolished a sinking three-storey building within the Maryland Layout axis of Enugu South Local Government Area, Enugu metropolis.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ground floor of the building, located at Egwuekwe Street, Maryland Layout, instantly caved-in at about 2 a.m. on Saturday living the rest of the building in a perilous situation.

Speaking to journalists while inspecting the sinking building, the State’s Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Greg Nnaji, expressed sadness over the inability of individuals to follow adequate procedures of constructing buildings.

Mr Nnaji said that his ministry would ensure proper investigation of the immediate and remote causes of the building collapse.

““I will advise people living around the affected building to vacate the environment because it is not safe for them until investigation about the cause of the incident is carried out,’’ he said.

Also speaking, Chairman of Enugu State Capital Territory Development Authority, Joseph Onoh, said that while investigation is ongoing; the remaining structure would be demolished and pulled down for public safety.

Mr Onoh, who arrived at the scene with equipment, said it would be totally demolished so that nobody would occupy it under any guise to avoid recording human casualty for the state.

Earlier, some of the occupants of the building, Lazarus Okoye, Rita Chukwu and Ugochukwu Okorie, said they heard a mysterious sound around 2a.m. early on Saturday.

However, they said that they never knew it was the sound of the sinking ground floor of the building they heard.

The occupants appealed to the state government and good spirited individuals to come to their aid.

At the time of filing this report over 50 per cent of the remaining building had been demolished by the Enugu State Capital Territory Development Authority.

(NAN)