Ikoyi Building Collapse: Death toll rises to 22 as Gov Sanwo-olu suspends agency boss

03 Nov Ikoyi Building Collapse: Death toll rises to 22 as Gov Sanwo-olu suspends agency boss

As at Wednesday morning, rescue officials had recovered 22 bodies buried under the rubble after a 21-storey building collapsed on Monday in the Ikoyi  Lagos.

Residents and family members of persons trapped under the collapse besieged the site on Tuesday, furious that rescue operations were slow.

Also on Tuesday, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu ordered the suspension of Gbolahan Oki, the general manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA).

Mr Oki had, on Monday, said the collapsed building only got approval for 15 floors, and that inferior material were used in the construction.

Obafemi Hamzat, the deputy governor, however, refuted the claim, insisting that the government gave approval for the construction of a 21-storey building.

Gbenga Omotosho, the commissioner for Information, said in a statement on Tuesday that an independent panel has been set up to investigate the incident.

He said the members of the panel would be drawn from the Nigeria Institute of Architects (NIA), Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) and other professional bodies.

He said the body would probe the “remote and immediate causes of the incident and make recommendations on how to prevent future occurrence.”

He said that aside from the independent body, an internal investigation group has been set up by the government to probe the incident.

According to the statement, Mr Sanwo-Olu has assured that the government will investigate the matter thoroughly and punish the culprits.

The commissioner said more equipment and personnel have been deployed to the site to save more lives, adding that nine persons have been rescued while 14 were brought out dead.

Omotosho said that a help desk has been set up at the site for people seeking information about their relatives who may have been involved in the incident.

He said the “government will embark on further foundation and borehole acidic level tests to ascertain the impact on the collapsed building. These tests, particularly the borehole acidic level, is important for the entire Gerrard Road and adjoining areas.”