Victims of the recent building collapse in the Gark area of the Federal Capital Territory, have recounted their ordeal in the minutes leading to the collapse of the two storey building.
The multi-purpose building in the popular Lagos Street in Garki village caved in on Wednesday night, killing two persons and trapping over 37 others who have since been evacuated to different hospitals across the territory.
Recall that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, who visited the scene on Thursday directed the administration to settle all the medical bills of the victims, receiving treatment in different hospitals in the FCT.
The victims narrated their experience when government officials led by Mr Malan Haruna, the acting Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretariat, HHSS, of the FCT Administration visited them, on Saturday.
Recounting his ordeal, one of the victim, Garba Nagoma, who is receiving treatment at Cedarcrest Hospital Gwarinpa, said that he visited his friend who resides on the first floor of the building when it collapsed.
He said they were having a conversation when a friend called to alert them that the building was about to collapse.
“We rushed out to escape but we were late. The building collapsed on us while we were still on the first floor, and I survived with a fracture.
“My friend has always complained about the state of the building and how they always heard cracking sound. Unfortunately the building finally collapsed the day I decided to spend the night in the building.”
Nagoma, who said he was elated when he learned that his hospital bills would be settled by the government on the directive of the minister, said that his brother has already paid N500,000 to the hospital as the first bill.
Another survivor, Abdullahi Modibbo, who is receiving treatment at Asokoro District Hospital, said though the building had been showing signs of an impending collapse, he had no incline the incident was going to happen when it did.
He revealed that he fractured his leg when a boulder fell on his leg while trying to wriggle his way out of the rubble.
Modibbo thanked the minister for the financial support, which he described as “lifesaving”, adding that health workers were taking very good care of him.
On her part, Mrs. Charity Amadi, one of the victims that was treated and discharged from the Garki Hospital, equally thanked the FCT minister for the support.
Amadi, a mother of two and currently pregnant, said they were currently taking shelter at Cherubim and Seraphim Area 2 Shopping Centre, Abuja, adding that they lost everything in the wreckage.
“I am glad that the government has come to our aid because the hospital asked me to be coming for a check up to ensure that my unborn baby and I are fine,” she said.
