The Police Public Relations Officer for the FCT Police Command, Superintendent Josephine Adeh, provided details regarding a building collapse in Abuja in a statement on Sunday.
The incident occurred at Vidaz Estate, located within the Sabon Lugbe extension of the Federal Capital Territory, on Saturday.
“Our preliminary investigations reveal that the building was previously demolished by the FCT Authorities due to its location in an illegally acquired area,” Adeh explained.
She noted that the structure was further compromised by scavengers who tampered with the remnants for scrap metal, which ultimately led to its secondary collapse.
Fortunately, five individuals were successfully rescued from the debris, and there were no reported fatalities.
Adeh urged the public to “respect the boundaries of demolished structures and construction sites, ensuring their safety and preventing similar occurrences in the future.”
Contrary to initial reports from eyewitnesses who claimed that at least 40 individuals were trapped in the collapsed building, the situation was not as dire.
This incident is not the first building collapse in the nation’s capital; just weeks earlier, a two-storey residential building in the Kubwa area collapsed.
In that case, four people were rescued, while an unconfirmed number of others were feared trapped.
The Kubwa building was situated near Cupid Hotel on Sultan Dasuki Way
