Corps member among 10 tenants who died in Lagos building collapse

It would be recalled that on Sunday, May 1, 2022, dozens of people were trapped in the building, which collapsed in the late hours of the day.

According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), while 24 people have so far been rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building, the death toll has risen to 10.

Coordinator, NEMA, Ibrahim Farinloye, while addressing journalists, said the deceased consisted of four women and six men, adding that amongst them was a corps member.

“The body of an NYSC lady, Oluwakemi, was discovered and removed. Her father identified her; she was found with her phone in her hand,” he stated.

Stating that operations are still ongoing at the incident scene, Farinloye noted that the agency was aware that the collapsed building had been in distress for a long time.

He further revealed that the landlord’s son claimed to have given the tenants quit notice, and had refused to collect rents from them.

“From indications and comments, the building has been distressed for a long time and we learnt that they (tenants) were given notices to move out, but some of them moved while others refused to move.

“He (landlord’s son) revealed that he had to leave the building and he rented an apartment in the same vicinity. He further stated that rental fees had not been paid for a long time,” the NEMA coordinator added.

Other casualties with life-threatening injuries, according to Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, the Permanent Secretary of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), had been transferred to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja for treatment.