Follow Us on Google
From Fred Itua, Abuja
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, yesterday, ordered the immediate identification and arrest of the owner of a two-storey building which collapsed in Abuja, on Wednesday night.
The defective building, located at Lagos Crescent in Garki District, was one of the oldest buildings in the area. It collapsed at about 11pm amid downpour, leaving two people dead, 37 rescued and others trapped.
Speaking at the scene of the incident, Wike, who noted that original residents of the area were designated for resettlement, however, wondered why for years, the FCT Administration could not carry out such resettlement.
Wike said: “It is unfortunate that we woke up this morning to the very disturbing news of this building collapse. It is not what we contemplated.
“Let me thank the agencies, particularly NEMA and FEMA, that have supported us to rescue not less than 37 lives. It is unfortunate that we lost two lives.
“I will appeal to the Permanent Secretary to make sure that funds are raised to pay the hospital bills of those who were rescued, so that we do not lose any more people, and this should be done immediately.
“Secondly, these are the things we have been saying, nobody knows whose turn it will be, therefore, when government says it will take actions in areas we believe there are illegal developments or buildings that do not comply with the standard codes, it is not as if anybody has any personal vendetta, but for me, it is for us to do the right thing.
“I don’t know why it has taken so long that the FCTA has not resettled them; so we will take immediate action to see that the indigenous people of these places are resettled, and then the government has to plan out this place.
“When the government says to take building plans, it is not to suffer anybody, but to make sure that everyone is protected. Cities are planning to forestall this kind of occurrence. Imagine buildings without approval. I will ask that we must identify and arrest the owner of this property. It is very important.
“Government will, of course, take over this area and make sure no further development is carried out here. I want all the stakeholders here to, please, work with the government, in the interest of everybody. No one has come here to say, I like A, I don’t like B. I know, sometimes, government’s decisions may not be too comfortable with the people; but, in the long run, it is in the interest of the people. Now, we are all gathered here and none of us is happy we are here.
“These are the things we are trying to forestall. Again, I sympathise with those who lost dear lives, while the government will pick up the bills of all those in the hospital.
We will also support the rescue efforts and ensure that they get to the last level and rescue everyone still trapped in the rubble.”
Confirming the development to newsmen in Abuja, the Director-General, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Abbass Iddriss, said 37 people have so far been rescued at the scene of the collapsed structure, while two fatalities were recorded. He said the victims were evacuated to various medical facilities in Abuja.
“Thirty-seven people have so far been rescued and evacuated to hospital, others reportedly still trapped. Rescue team and others are on the ground. Rescue operations on but slowly, due to ongoing rain. They are making frantic efforts at getting an excavator to remove people from the rubble,” he added.
He commended the efforts of all stakeholders working hard manually to rescue trapped persons, including members of the community. It was gathered that the victims were taken to various hospitals, including the National Hospital, Asokoro, Nyanya, and Garki District Hospitals, Alliance hospital and Zenith hospital.
Also, Director, Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, explained that the building had no planning approval because the area was meant for resettlement.
“The building is located within the Garki indigenous settlement. The building had two suspended floors, one used for commercial activities, while the other floors were used as residential accommodation. The building caved in yesterday (Wednesday) and 37 people were rescued.
“The status of the place is that it is not a planned area, so the development had no planning approval. In fact, the area is meant for resettlement from here to Apo resettlement town,” he added.
The FCT police command, however, contradicted the figures of the victims given to the public by the FCT minister and other rescue agencies.
In a statement, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, quoted the FCT Commissioner of Police, Haruna Garba as saying: “In response to the unfortunate incident of a collapsed two-storey building along Lagos Street, by Nsukka Street junction, Garki Abuja, in the early hours of the day, the FCT Police Command swiftly responded to the emergency, dispatching specialised search-and-rescue teams to the scene to save lives and ensure the safety of all those affected.
“The Command has deployed every effort to locate and extricate those who are trapped. So far, 20 people have been rescued from the scene while two others, unfortunately, lost their lives. We are working in close coordination with other relevant agencies, including the Fire Service, Emergency Medical Services, and disaster response teams, to streamline our rescue efforts.
“The CP extends his thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families and urges members of the public to steer clear of the incident area, to facilitate the ongoing rescue efforts and to allow emergency personnel work without hindrance.”
