Five people have been rescued from an uncompleted building that collapsed on Saturday in Vidaz Estate, Sabon Lugbe, within the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
At least 40 people were reported to be trapped under the rubble when the building came down early Saturday morning.
Sympathizers and emergency workers have been working tirelessly at the scene to free those still caught beneath the debris.
The building, which was still under construction, had reportedly been demolished earlier by the Federal Capital Development Administration due to its location on illegally acquired land. FCT Police spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, confirmed the rescue efforts and shared more details on the situation.
She stated, “The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has confirmed the collapse of a building situated in Vidaz Estate, within the Sabon Lugbe extension, FCT. Our preliminary investigations reveal that the building was previously demolished by the FCT Authorities due to its location in an illegally acquired area. Regrettably, the structure was further compromised by scavengers who had been tampering with the remnants for scrap metal, ultimately leading to its secondary collapse.”
Adeh added that so far, five people have been successfully rescued, and no deaths have been reported. “In light of this incident, we urge the public to respect the boundaries of demolished structures and construction sites, ensuring their safety and preventing similar occurrences in the future,” she said.
Witnesses at the scene expressed relief over the rescue operations. Mrs. Mary Odeh, an eyewitness, said, “It is a sad development, but we thank God that five persons have been rescued and were rushed to the hospital. Yesterday, we were told that about 40 people were trapped in the collapsed building. My house is close to this place. You can see that security operatives and other concerned stakeholders are on the ground as part of the rescue operation.”
This incident comes three months after a two-story building collapsed in Kubwa, where four people were rescued, and others were initially feared trapped.
Rescue efforts are still underway at the scene in hopes of saving more people.
