The Enugu State Government has handed over the representative of the developer of a collapsed four-storey building in the Independence Layout area of Enugu State to the police for questioning.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Enugu State Governor on Media, Dan Nwomeh, confirmed the development in an update shared on Facebook, quoting the Executive Chairman of the Enugu Capital Territory Development Agency, ECTDA, Uche Anya. Anya said the representative was handed over to the police to assist with investigations into the collapse.
“I have handed the representative to the police, not necessarily for detention, but to help with the investigation. But this is really a very unfortunate situation,” he said.
The National Emergency Management Agency, through its press unit, said emergency responders were informed on arrival that people were trapped beneath the rubble.
According to a statement by Manzo Ezekiel, the rescue team immediately commenced search operations, while an excavator was later mobilized to assist in clearing the debris. By 11:20 a.m., the joint rescue team had recovered the body of a male victim from the collapsed structure.
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“As of 11:20 a.m., the joint rescue team successfully recovered the lifeless body of one male victim from the collapsed structure.
“Rescue operations are still ongoing as emergency responders continue to search through the debris to ascertain whether other victims remain trapped beneath the rubble,” Ezekiel stated.
Anya said the security guard at the site told responders that six people had been sleeping in the uncompleted building, although one of them had left before the collapse.
“This property collapsed in the early hours of the morning. We arrived here around 6am. When we arrived, we met one of the security men, who said that six people slept in the uncompleted property, but one of them was not around when the incident occurred,” he said.
The Director of the Enugu State Fire Service, Okwudiri Oha, said four people were initially rescued from the rubble, with two sustaining minor injuries and being taken to a health facility for medical checks.
“We were able at that initial time to rescue four persons. Out of the four, two sustained minor injuries and they were all rushed to a health facility for proper checks,” he said.
Oha added that rescuers later recovered another person from the rubble, although the person’s condition had yet to be confirmed at the time.
“Then, as you have seen, we have been working. The last person we just recovered was the fifth person. It is when you get to a health facility that you know whether he is still alive,” he stated.
Anya said the property was approved for construction in 2021 but was later sealed by the ECTDA after officials identified structural integrity concerns and non-compliance with the approved building plan.
“Meanwhile, this property was approved in 2021 before the advent of this administration. But usually, we have a habit of stocktaking, checking on every construction at every stage.
“When I personally led the team that inspected here, we found out that there were serious integrity issues and non-compliance with their 2021 approval,” Anya said.
He said he personally issued the first stop-work order, after which the agency sealed the property about six months ago.
According to him, the developer’s representative, who reportedly resides abroad, had been engaging with the agency for between 30 and 40 days to address the regulatory issues before the collapse.
Anya had earlier said the agency’s inspection found serious violations of the conditions attached to the property’s 2021 approval.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the Enugu State Emergency Management Agency, Chinasa Mbah, said officials would excavate the entire wreckage to ensure that no victim remained trapped beneath the debris.
“We are going to excavate everything because you can see the machines that the government brought. We will excavate everything to ensure no survivor or body is left,” she said.
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