A family narrowly escaped death when their residence near the Adealu bus stop in the Iyana-Ipaja district of Lagos State collapsed during the weekend.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Permanent Secretary, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Sunday.
He said that the agency was alerted to the situation after receiving a call for help through the 767 and 112 Emergency toll-free lines at 2:44 a.m. on Saturday night (July 13).
“The structure collapsed at the address of No. 49, Oyinlola Street, adjacent to the Adealu Bus-stop, Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos.
“Upon arrival at the scene, investigations revealed that it was the boys’ quarters behind the storey building in the said address that collapsed.
“Fortunately, the single-family involved was able to escape before the collapse. There were no casualties nor fatalities involved in the incident.
“Further investigations revealed that the boys’ quarters of the building collapsed as a result of neglect and poor maintenance,” the official said.
Oke-Osanyintolu mentioned that the organization’s crisis response group carried out public education efforts to increase understanding and awareness about the serious risks faced by the building’s residents if they chose to remain there.
“The main building, which consists of nine rooms downstairs and two flats upstairs, has been cordoned off.
“All occupants have been advised to vacate the building immediately, for the safety of their lives and property,” he said.
He also recommended that there should be a manual demolition of the remnants of the building.
“Manual clearing of the debris from the self-collapsed boys’ quarters is equally recommended.
“Integrity tests by the Material Testing Laboratory has also been recommended for the main building, to determine its continued existence,” the LASEMA official added.