At least seven people have been confirmed dead in the
building collapse in Abuja, the Nigerian capital.
Many other occupants of the building sustained
injuries, the Federal Capital Territory Emergency Department (FEMD) said.
Nkechi Isa, the FEMD spokesperson, told PREMIUM TIMES
on Sunday that the official death toll from the collapse is seven.
The collapse, which occurred around 5 p.m. on
Saturday, left a harrowing scene as residents scrambled to rescue those trapped
beneath the rubble.
Videos shared across social media on
Saturday depicted frantic scenes of onlookers and residents digging through
debris with their hands and makeshift tools in the absence of emergency
responders. Their swift, improvised actions became a lifeline to the victims
trapped below.
Emergency responders from the FEMD did not arrive the
venue until Sunday morning, officials and residents of the area told PREMIUM
TIMES.
The Collapse
On Sunday, at the scene, witnesses spoke about how the
building collapsed.
This newspaper learnt that the building was one of
those marked for demolition by the Abuja authorities because it was built
without approval.
Knowing that the building would the demolished, the
official occupants vacated it and left it unoccupied.
Abuja authorities recently began demolishing buildings
in the Sabon Lugbe area, including the one that collapsed on Saturday. However,
the demolition was only partially done, and the carcass was then occupied by
poor scavengers in the area, known as ‘Mai bola.’
Shehu Mohammed, one of the Mai bola, said that the
bulldozers that did the demolition cut through the building’s foundation.
Mr Mohammed said about 13 people were inside the
building when “bulldozers touched the building from the bottom,” triggering the
collapse.
“Three of our brothers died and ten others were
injured,” he said, adding that residents were unaware of any demolition plans.
Another resident, Dahiru Ali, estimated a higher death
toll, claiming that 15 people had died.
Meanwhile, Husseini Usman, who helped bury victims at
Sabon Lugbe’s Muslim burial ground, reported that he witnessed the burial of
three people.
Official blames scanvengers
Mrs Isa, the FEMD spokesperson, denied that the
Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), the agency responsible for urban
planning and development in Abuja, had commenced the demolition of the building
with bulldozers.
She said unauthorised scavenging, not the official
demolition, likely led to the collapse.
“Contrary to reports that Development Control was
actively demolishing this building, they had not touched it,” Mrs Isa said in a
telephone interview on Sunday.
She suggested that scavengers who were trying to steal
iron from the building’s foundation caused the collapse.
“They were using mallets to strike pillars, attempting
to extract the metal. That pillar, which was holding the building up, simply
gave way,” she said.
She said the building’s owners had sold the structure
to scavengers.
“Those scenes you saw—it’s scavengers stripping the
building. Their actions may have been what compromised its integrity,” she
stated.
FCT Minister ordered demolition of the
buildings
Before the collapse, Nyesom Wike, the FCT minister,
ordered the immediate demolition of unauthorised structures within the Sabon
Lugbe South District.
Rabi Umar, the assistant director of press, conveyed
Mr Wike’s orders in a statement issued Tuesday.
The minister had undertaken an unscheduled visit to
the area, accompanied by heads of various security agencies.
“These are land grabbers operating without legitimate
documentation, and we will not allow it,” Mr Wike said. He instructed the
Department of Development Control to work with security agencies to enforce the
removal of illegal structures.
He said any building lacking official approval from
the FCT Administration would be demolished, describing these developments as
violations of Abuja’s land-use laws.
The minister also warned that security personnel would
arrest anyone obstructing the demolition process.
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