Residential building with over 800 rooms in Lagos collapses, injure two, hundreds displaced

Again, tragedy has struck in Lagos State as a residential building with about 800 rooms in the Ketu area of the state, collapsed leaving two persons injured. The collapsed building which is said to have been a school before it was converted to a residential address, partially collapsed on Sunday while the two persons reported to have been injured are currently battling for lives at a private hospital. It was gathered that the first incident on Saturday caused panic amongst residents who began to consider other options. However, on Sunday afternoon, as residents were still trying to salvage their belongings, the building crumbled again, destroying another structure inside the compound before collapsing completely. The development has sent even more panic across the area as scores of families and individuals residing in the building have been forced to vacate the premises. A visit to the affected building on Sunday evening by some newsmen revealed that dozens of residents were already moving their belongings in different directions as officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, cordoned off the premises. From their accounts, “the affected compound housing several defective buildings has been marked for demolition by Lagos officials.” Meanwhile, the PUNCH in an earlier publication on December 2014, had described the collapsed building as a “500-room house in Lagos where tenants live as prisoners.” In an updated version, the report “chronicled the horrible living conditions of tenants of Agboye Estate, who contended with snakes, scorpions, and other dangerous animals as a result of stagnant sewage water at the back of the building.” It added that “in most of the blocks constructed only inches away from each other, at least 12 rooms shared a single toilet and bathroom adding that on average, two persons occupy each room, bringing the number of users of a single toilet to 24.” The report also revealed that in the Agboye estate, “tenants are forbidden from using power generators, electric kettles, air conditioners, or even hosting important social gatherings like naming ceremonies or birthdays within the facility by the landlord, Onamo Agboye. “The only entrance leading in and out of the compound closes at 11:00pm daily — nobody goes in or out once the clock ticks.” Following the report by at the time, the Lagos State Government reportedly ordered a partial seal of the affected building but lifted the sanction a few days later. The landlord of Agboye Estate has since gone into hiding following Sunday’s tragedy for fear of being apprehended by the authorities. Building collapse in Lagos have been a recurrent situation which the government is currently making efforts to avert it’s reoccurrence.

chizzy

Sep 18, 2023 - 00:43

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