Many injured as another building collapses in Ibadan

Another two-story building under construction Tuesday collapsed in Ibadan, the Oyo State’s capital.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that at least eight people sustained various degrees of injuries when the building located on Eleyele-Jericho Road Road at about 4.00 pm.

Last March, at least three persons sustained injuries when a two-storey building collapsed in the Sogoye area of the city.

It was, however, gathered that eight people sustained injuries in the latest building collapse.

A witness added that the injured were the workers close to the collapsed portion.

One of the site workers who spoke with journalists, Kazeem Adebayo, said concrete casting on a portion of the building had started when the building collapsed.

Mr Adebayo said a portion of the building began to give way at about 3.30 p.m. and the attention of the site engineer was drawn to it.

He, however, insisted that it was the engineer who ordered them to continue working, only for the building to collapse shortly afterward.

Mr Adebayo said those who were injured had been taken to the nearby Jericho Specialist Hospital for treatment.

The secretary of the Oyo State Emergency Management Agency, Akin Makinde, who confirmed the incident to PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday said the case has not been reported to the agency.

Mr Makinde, who said the agency would soon visit the scene, also said they are embarking on public enlightenment to tell the people that they need to report the incidents before the agency can move there.

He told PREMIUM TIMES during a telephone conversation that, “I just heard about it today. I heard that eight people were injured and there is no loss of life.

“That is why we are embarking on public enlightenment. No one has called us. They should call us. If we are not called, how do we know?

“I told you I just heard it about an hour ago. This is the more reason we are embarking on campaign. If an incident occurs, it should be reported. I learnt it occurred yesterday. They should call us and tell us what happened.

“In fact, somebody called us that there was a fire incident yesterday. Myself and NEMA and the fire service, we were roaming about to know the place until 7 pm yesterday, not knowing that it was the last fire incident that occurred at old Ife Road that they were calling us for.

“If we are not called, how do we know? We were around yesterday looking for where the fire incident occurred before we discovered that it was the last fire incident that they called us for.

“I just heard it over the radio. We will visit the place and know what happened,” he said.