Landlord dies in Lagos building collapse

A building under construction at the Ikorodu area of Lagos Tuesday collapsed killing the owner, identified as Daniel Obasi, the National Emergency Management Agency has said.

The incident occurred at about 2:30 p.m.

According to NEMA, several people escaped death as construction was suspended at the site due to the Eid-El-Kabir celebration. The workers had been at work until late night on Monday.

Ibrahim Farinloye, the acting coordinator of NEMA, south-west, said the owner of the building, a pastor, was trapped underneath the collapsed building and his body recovered by emergency responders.

“A two-Storey building under construction collapsed at 77, Tapa Road, OkeOjo Isawo at about 2:30 p. m. today (Tuesday).

“The landlord, Pastor Daniel Obasi, was trapped and the body recovered. The police have taken the body to the morgue of the General Hospital, Ikorodu,” Mr Farinloye said in a statement.

He added that the collapsed building was an attachment to the main building.

“The cause of collapse was suspected to be inadequate time line to allow sandfilled land to compact properly before commencement of construction and poor building materials as attributed by neighbours,” Mr Farinloye said.

Similar building collapse has been recorded in Lagos, killing several persons including construction workers.

Most building collapses are attributed to weak structures and poor construction materials.