LAGOS, NIGERIA – Tragedy struck in the early hours of Saturday morning as a building housing a popular local restaurant, Equal Right, collapsed on Oremeta Street in the Ojodu-Berger area of Lagos State, leaving several feared dead and many others trapped beneath the rubble.
The building, a two-storey structure, reportedly crumbled around 8 a.m., sending shockwaves through the densely populated neighbourhood. According to eyewitness accounts, the collapse was sudden and without warning, catching occupants and passersby completely off guard.
“I was inside my shop down the road when I heard a loud crash like thunder. By the time we rushed out, we saw a cloud of dust and realised the building had gone down,” said local resident Kehinde Adeyemi, who was among the first responders on the scene. “People were screaming. Some were shouting from under the debris.”
The Equal Right restaurant, which occupied the ground floor of the building, was said to have been operating for several years and was frequented by both locals and visitors in the area. It is believed that several staff members and customers were inside the premises when the collapse occurred.
Emergency response teams, including personnel from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and local fire services, arrived at the site within an hour.
Rescue operations were quickly launched with the help of local volunteers and community youth who used shovels and bare hands to dig through the debris in hopes of saving lives.
As of the time of filing this report, officials have yet to confirm the number of casualties. However, sources at the scene reported that at least four bodies had been pulled from the wreckage while efforts to rescue others were ongoing.
A representative of LASEMA, speaking under condition of anonymity, stated, “We are doing everything possible to locate and extract any survivors. The structure appears to have collapsed due to structural weaknesses, but our engineers are still assessing the exact cause.”
Concerns over building safety in Lagos have long been a matter of public debate, with numerous incidents of structural failure recorded in recent years. In many cases, illegal construction, poor maintenance, and failure to adhere to building codes have been cited as contributing factors.
Residents in the Ojodu-Berger area voiced frustration at the repeated neglect of safety regulations. “How many more lives must we lose before the government takes building inspections seriously?” lamented Chinyere Nwosu, a shop owner nearby.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is yet to make an official statement regarding the incident. Meanwhile, authorities have cordoned off the area to ensure the safety of rescue workers and prevent further casualties.
Rescue efforts are expected to continue into the night, with emergency teams racing against time to save anyone still trapped.
This tragic incident has once again cast a spotlight on the urgent need for stricter enforcement of construction regulations and regular safety audits of buildings across the state.
