The Nigerian Police Authorities announced on Monday, September 5, 2022, that they are looking for a property developer after a catastrophic and deadly building collapse.
A seven-storeyed building which was under construction in an upscale area of Lagos collapsed on Sunday, killing at least six people.
The Nigerian Local police authorities are worried that the death toll could be higher, with few survivors found. The collapse occurred on Victoria Island.
In the wake of the accident, police said they were seeking the developer responsible for the faulty construction of those buildings.
After succumbing to the pressure, the city’s planning and development commissioner has also offered his resignation amid frequent incidents of building collapses in the state.
The commissioner accused the developer of starting the construction of the building without a valid planning permit and ignoring official warnings against that were issued to him against continuing construction of the buildings.
At least ten buildings have collapsed in Nigeria in the last year, with the sprawling megacity of Lagos being home to six of those unfortunate incidents. In one incident, more than 40 people were found to be dead when a high-rise building collapsed while it was still under construction.
According to a South African university researcher investigating construction disasters, since 2005, more than 152 buildings have collapsed in a city with a population of roughly 20 million people.
Many residents of Africa’s most populous nation reside in crumbling buildings, while the builders ignore construction safety regulations the authorities put in place.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has instructed the authorities to revamp construction standards, describing the frequent building collapses as “increasingly embarrassing.”
At least one social media user complained about unsafe work at the latest building just days before the collapse. It was being constructed next to a hospital in the neighbourhood of Oniru.
