Four members of the same family have been confirmed dead after a three-storey building collapsed at Popo Giwa, Ilorin, Kwara State, on Tuesday.
The incident occurred around 5 am at No. 41 Popo Giwa Street, beside Gogoro Mosque, with eight members of the family initially trapped beneath the rubble
Speaking with Channels Television during the rescue operation, an eyewitness, Abdulganiy Musa, said the father of the family is a serving soldier, while the mother works as a casual staff member at the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, Ilorin.
Musa said rescue workers were engaged in efforts to evacuate the victims trapped under the collapsed structure.
A child identified as Firdaus, the second-to-last born of the family, was among those rescued alive from the rubble as emergency responders intensified the operation.
An excavator was later deployed to the scene to assist rescuers in removing the debris and gaining access to the remaining trapped victims.
Findings showed that several emergency and security agencies were involved in the rescue operation, with ambulances deployed to evacuate survivors for medical attention.
The Kwara State Fire Service subsequently confirmed the casualties, saying other people were also wounded in the incident.
The Public Relations Officer of the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, who was at the scene, disclosed that the agency received a distress call at about 5 am reporting that a building had collapsed and people were trapped underneath.
“We immediately mobilised to the scene and commenced the rescue operation. This kind of situation is not something the fire service can handle alone,” Adekunle said, adding that officials of the Hospitals Management Board, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and other emergency agencies joined the rescue operation.
“We are only here to ascertain the actual cause of this collapse and rescue the trapped victims. As of when due, we will communicate to the media about our findings,” he said.
According to him, if the assessment warranted demolition, the relevant authorities would take appropriate action, while occupants would be advised accordingly if the structures were found to be safe.
The Kwara State Emergency Management Agency said eight people were trapped in the building, adding that the rescued victims and bodies of the deceased had been taken to the hospital.
“The rescued persons are receiving treatment presently,” the Kwara SEMA Secretary, Magaji Saadudeen, said.
Giving more details about the structure, the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, clarified that a specific portion of the building gave way.
“Our findings showed that it was the boys’ quarters of the building that collapsed,” Adekimi said. “For now, the situation is under control. We will examine the remaining building and see how people can be secured. But for now, we have evacuated everybody from the main building.”
Meanwhile, the Kwara State Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Lawal Olohungbebe, described the incident as unfortunate and condoled with the victims’ families.
“The rescue mission began immediately after the collapse, and to the Grace of God, some were rescued, but unfortunately, we have to take it as this,” the commissioner, who was representing Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, said at the scene.
Olohungbebe stressed the importance of accessible roads in residential areas, saying the access route to the building contributed to the ease with which emergency responders were able to reach the scene.
“One of the things that made it very easy for us to rescue the few people we were able to rescue is the access route,” he said, urging residents and developers to respect building and town-planning regulations.
He commended the Ministries of Health and Environment, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, the National Emergency Management Agency, the Fire Service, Civil Defence, the Red Cross, and other responders for their swift intervention.
The Chairman of Ilorin West Local Government Area, AbdulRahman Ladan, who monitored the rescue operation, also commended the emergency agencies and residents for their prompt response, noting that six to seven ambulances were deployed to the scene to support the evacuation of victims.
Ladan, alongside security officials, cautioned residents and prospective developers against ignoring building standards and structural warning signs.
“Whenever you discover something like this, please escalate it. Get to the point of evacuating yourself and your family members from that building. Life is the priority,” Ladan said, advising developers to use quality materials and engage qualified professionals to supervise construction to prevent structural failures.
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