…2 cars, 5 generators, 3 motocycles destroyed
…Oyo CP pays assessment visit to scene
From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
At least, 168 persons, including police personnel, their wives and children, escaped death at the Police Barracks, Sango, Ibadan, in Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State on Saturday when a block of building containing 27 self-contained apartments partially collapsed.
The fact emerged during an interview with the Zonal Coordinator, South-West, Saheed Akinyode, which was conducted for him by journalists on Sunday moming. He said he led his men to work at the scene of the building collapse on Saturday night. They were able to recover the damaged cars, motorcycles, while some generators were still under the rubble.
He stated that the affected building must he over 100 years old. He added that the force has a department in charge of work and the department should conduct integrity tests on all the buildings in the police barracks to ascertain their level of depreciation and whether they are still habitable or not.
Though no casualty was recorded, property worth millions of naira were destroyed, including two cars, five generators and three motorcycle.
The debris of the collapsed strucutre fell on the trunks of the two affected cars, which are Toyota Avensis, and Mistibushi Space Star. The trunk of the Toyota Avensis, where there is engines was badly damaged up to the front seat, pressing the roof of the car. The two cars were seen with shattered screens.
When Daily Sun visited the scene of the building collapse on Sunday morning, it was gathered that the building went down at about 3pm on Saturday.
The operatives of the Nationl Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) led by the Zonal Coordinator for South West, Saheed Akinyode, worked in the night to possibly ensure evacuation of anyone that might have been trapped in the rubble. But Akinyode said no person was under the rubble.
The affected building is marked Block Eleven and NPF/OYS/193. It is a two-storey building. The toilet, which is also two-storey structure, attached to the main building collapsed completely, while part of the main building also came down.
One of the policemen that live in the affected police barracks, said the occupants of the Block Eleven that collapsed partially had been asked long time ago to vacate the building, following results of an integrity test conducted on the building, adding: “But the occupants refused to leave because they are low-rank policemen and they may not have money to rent apartments in the town.”
Daily Sun observed that policemen have been deployed to the scene. They politely prevented journalists that went to the scene early on Sunday morning from taking pictures and doing video recordings. According to them, it is an order from the above that journalists should not be allowed to capture the scene of the building collapse until permission was obtained.
The policemen at the scene, however, directed all the journalists on ground to the nearby Sango Divisional Police Headquarters. On getting there, the journalists were told to get permission from the Commissiner of Police in the state, Mr. Williams Adebowale, or the Police Public Relations Officer for the state command, Mr. Adewale Osifeso.
Information, however, came that the police boss in the state would pay assessment visit to the scene. So, the journalists waited for him. The CP arrived at the scene in the company of some senior police officers. Including the PPRO, Osifeso, who could not earlier be reached on his mobile phone.
Adebowale, who did not grant any interview, said the Force Headquaters is handling the situation. The PPRO in the state also said the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejejobi, would speak on the development.
Officials of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) on ground said the preliminary assessment of the building that collapsed partially showed that the police personnel inhabiting the building must be evacuated. The whole block of building should be demolished and rebuilt. They added that proper auditing of the blocks of buildings in the barracks should be done and appropriate actions should be taken to prevent disaster in the nearest future.
Some residents of Sango Police Barracks, however, narrated how the three’storey building collapsed on Saturday. One of the residents daid: “It was around 3pm on Saturday. Many of us were inside and the children were playing outside. We started hearing some sound in the building, some particle began to fall and the building eventually collapsed. No casualty was recorded at all. Nobody died and nobody was injured. But two cars, three motorcycles and five generators were affected.”
“The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the division of this barracks and the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) team were also here last night to take some pictures and make inquiries on the incident.
“After observing the incident, NEMA promised to bring us relief material such as matress, mosquito net and others, they said we should find a place we can manage for now. It is risky for us still staying here. But we have nowhere to go.”
Another resident also said: “You journalists, please don’t put this issue on our Commissioner of Police in the state. He has been doing well. He is not in charge of all these buildings. He is in federal operations. We have a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of Works. He reports directly to our amiable Inspector General of Police.
“Though, no life was lost, this incident should serve as a wake-up call to the officers in charge of works to do the needful. They should do accurate integrity tests of all the buildings in all police barracks in order to prevent monumental disaster.”