One of the injured victims, Onawole Adebayo, has shared his harrowing experience during the collapse of a distressed three-storey building in the Ketu area of Lagos State. The building, which had over 500 rooms, partially collapsed on a Saturday following heavy rainfall in the area.
Adebayo, an artisan, explained that he was called by a customer who lived in the building to help remove some of his appliances after the state government had ordered the occupants to evacuate the premises. He went to the building on Sunday morning to assist the customer. As he was leaving the room, the building suddenly collapsed, trapping him under the rubble. He lost consciousness and was rescued after about an hour.
The victim’s relative mentioned that it took a while to rescue Adebayo, and he lost a significant amount of blood during the ordeal. Another resident, who had minor injuries, was discharged from the hospital on Monday.
The incident left many residents in a difficult situation, with some lamenting the sudden eviction notice issued by the Lagos State Government. One widow, Alice Owusu, shared her plight, as she had just moved into her apartment and had no place to go after the incident.
The collapsed building, which also included the landlord’s apartment, has caused significant distress for its occupants, who were still trying to salvage their belongings and find alternative accommodation.