Four Dead As Three-Storey Building Collapses On Family In Ilorin

Four members of the same family have died after a three-storey building collapsed at Popo Giwa, Ilorin, Kwara State, on Tuesday morning, trapping eight people beneath the rubble.

The incident occurred around 5am at No. 41 Popo Giwa Street, beside Gogoro Mosque.

The Kwara State Fire Service and the State Emergency Management Agency later confirmed that four victims were rescued alive while four others died.

An eyewitness, Abdulganiy Musa, who spoke during the rescue operation, said the father of the family is a serving soldier, while the mother works as a casual staff member at the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, Ilorin.

He said rescuers were initially engaged in efforts to locate and evacuate those trapped under the collapsed structure.

A child identified as Firdaus, said to be the second-to-last child of the family, was among those pulled out alive as emergency responders intensified the operation.

An excavator was later deployed to help remove debris and reach the trapped victims.

Several agencies joined the rescue effort, including the fire service, SEMA, the National Emergency Management Agency, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Red Cross and health officials, with ambulances deployed to evacuate survivors and the bodies of the deceased.

The Public Relations Officer of the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, confirmed the toll at the scene.

“We have recovered four people dead and rescued four people alive,” he told The PUNCH.

He said the agency received a distress call around 5am that a building had collapsed with people trapped underneath.

“We immediately mobilised to the scene and commenced rescue operation. This kind of situation is not something the fire service can handle alone,” he said, adding that officials of the Hospitals Management Board, NSCDC and other emergency agencies joined the operation.

Adekunle said the cause of the collapse would only be known after a proper assessment.

“We are only here to ascertain the actual cause of this collapse and rescue the trapped victims. As and when due, we will communicate to the media about our findings,” he said, adding that demolition or further action would depend on the outcome of that assessment.

He urged residents to report unusual signs of structural distress and evacuate buildings immediately if they notice anything that could indicate danger.

The SEMA Secretary, Magaji Saadudeen, also confirmed the death of four people and the rescue of four others, noting that eight people had been trapped in the building.

“The rescued persons are receiving treatment presently,” he said.

The Commissioner of Police, Kwara State Command, Ojo Adekimi, said the collapsed portion was the boys’ quarters of the property.

“It was a three-storey building. Our findings showed that the boys’ quarters of the building collapsed. Information gathered revealed that eight people were trapped in the building,” he said.

He added that rescued victims had been taken to hospital while the bodies of the deceased had also been evacuated.

“For now, the situation is under control. We will examine the remaining building and see how people can be secured. But for now, we have evacuated everybody from the main building,” he said, urging residents to pay attention to warning signs such as leakages and other structural defects.

Representing Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq at the scene, the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Lawal Olohungbebe, described the incident as unfortunate and commiserated with the victims’ families.

“The rescue mission began immediately after the collapse and, to the glory of God, some were rescued, but unfortunately, we have to take it as this,” he said.

Olohungbebe said the accessibility of the area had aided the swift response of emergency workers.

“One of the things that made it very easy for us to rescue the few people we were able to rescue is the access route,” he said, urging residents and developers to comply with building and town-planning regulations, particularly provisions requiring adequate access to residential areas.

He commended the Ministries of Health and Environment, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, SEMA, NEMA, the Fire Service, Civil Defence, the Red Cross and other responders for their prompt intervention.

The Chairman of Ilorin West Local Government Area, AbdulRahman Babatunde Ladan, who monitored the rescue operation, commended the emergency agencies and residents for their prompt response, noting that six to seven ambulances had been deployed to the scene to facilitate the evacuation of victims.

“Whenever you discover something like this, please escalate it. Get to the point of evacuating yourself and your family members from that building. Life is the priority,” he said.

Ladan also advised prospective developers to use quality materials and engage qualified professionals to supervise construction, stressing that compliance with building standards was essential to preventing structural failures.