Residents of Ajuwon in Ogun State were thrown into mourning after a mixed-use building collapsed during a downpour on Monday, killing three people and leaving 12 others rescued as the Ogun State Government ordered a comprehensive investigation into the tragedy.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the collapsed structure, which housed two shops on the ground floor and residential apartments above, was located at the OGS Bus Stop, Baale Road, Ajuwon, a border community between Ogun and Lagos states.
When our correspondent visited the scene on Tuesday morning, police officers and emergency responders were still conducting search-and-rescue operations amid fears that more occupants could be trapped beneath the rubble.
Although the exact number of people in the building when it collapsed around 3pm on Monday could not be immediately confirmed, three bodies—an adult woman, a baby and a 75-year-old man—had been recovered from the debris as of Tuesday morning.
A commercial motorcyclist, Godwin, told PUNCH Metro that the heavy rainfall had forced many residents indoors shortly before the building gave way.
“The owner of the building is an engineer. When the rain started, people living in the house immediately sought shelter in their apartments, so the house was filled up at the time of the incident.
“What happened was that the lower part of the building sank during the downpour, and everything else crumbled on it,” he said.
Another resident, identified simply as Ajibola, blamed the delay in an emergency response for the loss of lives, arguing that more victims could have been rescued if help had arrived earlier.
“It was terrible. People had to borrow an ambulance to evacuate the victims. The excavator that was pulling out the rubble even cut part of one of the bodies that was recovered. The lady whose body was removed nearly had her body chopped off if people had not noticed her on time,” he claimed.
A shop owner, Bisola, whose business is opposite the collapsed building, said the structure showed no visible signs of failure before it suddenly caved in.
“One of the bodies recovered was that of an elderly man who was planning to move out of the house today. He had concluded arrangements to vacate the building.
“If he knew this would happen, he wouldn’t have waited a day longer. The whole building just sank. It didn’t show any sign of distress before yesterday,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency confirmed that 12 people were rescued, while an adult woman, a baby and a 75-year-old man died in the collapse.
In an operational update on Tuesday, the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the agency deployed emergency personnel and heavy rescue equipment to support ongoing operations following a directive by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
He said LASEMA was working alongside the Ogun State Government, the National Emergency Management Agency, the Nigeria Police Force, Ogun State Fire Service, the Amotekun Corps and other emergency responders to ensure a coordinated rescue effort.
According to him, search-and-rescue operations remain ongoing, while a preliminary structural assessment revealed that an adjoining bungalow had been severely compromised by the collapse and would undergo controlled demolition to prevent a secondary disaster.
Oke-Osanyintolu said the intervention underscored Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to regional disaster response and interstate cooperation.
“This deployment reflects the vision of Mr Governor that disaster knows no boundaries. Lagos, as a centre of excellence and a first responder state, has both the capacity and the responsibility to support our neighbours in times of distress.
“This action aligns with international standards on mutual aid and cooperative disaster governance across Western Nigeria,” he said.
He extended condolences to the bereaved families, wished the injured a speedy recovery and urged property owners to comply with building regulations, obtain statutory approvals and carry out regular structural integrity tests to prevent avoidable disasters.
Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, said the governor had directed a full-scale investigation into the collapse.
In a statement on Tuesday, Akinmade said preliminary findings by a multi-agency investigation team indicated that the building suffered catastrophic structural failure, causing the lower floors to sink into the ground while only parts of the upper slab remained visible above the rubble.
He said eyewitnesses reported that the building collapsed around 3pm, shortly after a downpour accompanied by thunderstorms and a reported lightning strike.
According to him, two women and their children escaped after noticing signs of structural distress, while a young man sustained minor injuries while fleeing the building moments before it collapsed.
Akinmade added that emergency responders, including officials of the Ogun State Safety Office, State Fire Service, Ministries of Environment, Physical Planning and Urban Development, Works and Infrastructure, the Nigeria Police Force and the Ifo Local Government Water and Environmental Sanitation Department, immediately mobilised to the scene.
He noted that contractors working on projects within the Akute-Alagbole and Agbado axis deployed heavy equipment less than 10 minutes after the incident to aid rescue efforts.
According to the statement, although initial surface searches yielded no victims, traces of blood and footprints beneath the debris prompted emergency workers to commence a carefully controlled excavation, leading to the recovery of the first body.
The government said that while the heavy rainfall preceded the collapse, only detailed structural, geotechnical and forensic engineering investigations would determine whether the incident resulted from foundation defects, soil instability, construction flaws, the use of substandard materials or other underlying factors.
Akinmade said Governor Abiodun had directed experts from the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, the Ogun State Building Control Agency, the Building Production Management and Material Testing Agency and other relevant bodies to conduct comprehensive structural, soil and material assessments, as well as inspect adjoining buildings for possible compromise.
He added that the governor assured affected residents of government support and warned that anyone found to have violated building regulations, deviated from approved plans or compromised construction standards would face prosecution.
The Ogun State Government also appreciated the Lagos State Government for its swift intervention, describing the collaboration as a demonstration of the strong partnership between both states in protecting lives and property.
It reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the enforcement of physical planning regulations and urged developers, builders and residents to obtain all statutory approvals and strictly adhere to approved building plans and construction standards to avert similar tragedies.
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