Four people were injured on Friday, October 9, 2026,
when part of a two-storey building collapsed in the Old Port Harcourt Township
area of Rivers State.
The building, at No. 18 Club Road, is believed to be
one of the oldest in the area, having stood for more than 60 years. According
to an eyewitness who spoke to Punch on condition of anonymity, the parapet of
the second floor broke away from the main structure at about 7 pm and crashed
onto the ground floor, where people were drinking at a bar. Initial reports put
the number of injured at three, including a woman, and no deaths were recorded.
"There was confusion because nobody expected that
sort of thing," the witness said, adding that a woman suffered injuries
from her head to one of her ears. He said he had grown up knowing the building,
that it was over 60 years old and visibly weak, and questioned whether it had
ever been renovated.
Residents of the building moved out immediately after
the collapse, fearing the whole structure could give way. Government officials
who visited on Saturday reportedly cordoned off the perimeter with red tape.
The Rivers State Ministry of Urban Development and
Physical Planning has ordered all occupants to vacate the premises and warned
residents against living in similarly old structures. The ministry's Press
Secretary, Isabella Ibim, said the commissioner inspected the site on Saturday
afternoon with a team and found that only a part of the building had fallen
from the beam. He suspected the building was more than 50 years old and was
relieved that no life was lost. She added that the ministry has been running sensitisation
campaigns in the Mile 1, 2 and 3 axis of Diobu, Borikiri and other areas,
marking old buildings due for renovation.
The Rivers State Police Command spokesperson, ASP
Blessing Agabe, confirmed the incident and said the four injured people were
rushed to hospital. The area has been cordoned off, and an investigation is
ongoing.
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