Five persons have so far been rescued from the rubble of the two-storey building which collapsed on Saturday in Kubwa, a satellite town in Abuja.
Acting Director-General of FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD) Florence Wenegieme, who disclosed this at the scene, said the search and rescue efforts would continue to locate any other persons who may still be trapped under the debris.
The rescued victims were immediately transported to Kubwa General Hospital for medical treatment.
“We brought heavy equipment and rescued four people alive. Two are in the hospital. It is suspected that there is still someone under the rubble, so we cannot call off the operation until we have thoroughly searched the collapsed area,” Mrs Wenegieme stated.
Another victim was rescued after she left the scene.
She said FEMD was alerted by passers-by and received a distress call on the 112 emergency toll-free number at around 6:45 a.m.
Also speaking, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igweh, who was also at the incident scene, confirmed that the five rescued individuals were stable and being treated at Kubwa General Hospital.
“Rescue operation is ongoing because we heard a lady cry so that we can rescue her,” he said.
Mr Igweh assured us that security would be maintained at the site to protect the property.
Apart from FEND and the police, the National Emergency Management Agency, FCT Fire Service, Federal Road Safety Corps, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps personnel coordinate the rescue operations.
A section of the building, which serves as a residential apartment and is located beside Cupid Hotel on Sultan Dasuki Road, Phase 2, Site 2, Kubwa, Bwari Area Council, reportedly collapsed around 7 a.m.
PREMIUM TIMES also gathered that the collapsed building was formerly a hotel named Al-Hilal. It was converted into a residential building with 45 self-contained rooms.
Eyewitness accounts
A resident of the area, who identified herself as Madam Precious, recounted the incident, saying, “Early in the morning, a neighbour alerted me that the building was shaking. I woke my husband and children, and as soon as we got down, the building collapsed.”
Mrs Precious said she did not know the exact number of occupants as the building housed 36 rooms with varying residents, including couples, friends, and siblings.
She said the injured had been hospitalised and that security agencies restricted access to the building, preventing her from retrieving her property.
Other residents alleged that the landlord, who owns numerous buildings in Kubwa, consistently uses substandard materials. They also claimed that many building occupants are involved in internet scams.
Another witness said that, as a safety man, he had observed the lousy state of the house, which made him stop using the road behind it.
He said the building is only seven years old, but the landlord used substandard materials to build the house.
He stated that he observed the landlord changing engineers daily during the construction.
According to him, the landlord used low-quality materials during the building, which made many people in the neighbourhood refuse to rent rooms there.
FEND warns against use of substandard materials
Meanwhile, Mrs Wenegieme urged developers to adhere strictly to building quotes and avoid using substandard materials.
She said FCT Development Control had marked the building for investigation to determine the cause of the collapse.
She pointed out the visible use of substandard materials in the building.
“The materials used were evidently substandard. The quantity of cement, sand, and iron rods was inadequate,” she noted.
Mrs Wenegieme emphasised the importance of building integrity tests and advised developers to employ professionals and secure property insurance.
“It is very important to always carry out an integrity test on the land that is going to be used for a building. Get professionals to handle your building, and get insurance for the building, which will protect the builders and workers,” she added.
