Contractor of collapsed Lagos building arrested as death toll rises to 10

Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) has said the owner of the collapsed 21-floors building on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos has been arrested and would face the law.

The agency also revealed that the contractors handling the project skipped building standards as the owner was given approval to construct only 15 floors instead of 21.

LASBCA General Manager, Mr Gbolahan Oki, disclosed these in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.

“He got an approval for a 15-storey building and he exceeded his limit. I am on ground here and the materials he used are so inferior and terrible,” he said.

“The materials he used, the reinforcement, are so terrible. He got approval for 15 floors but built 21. I think he has been locked up. He has been arrested before now.”

He added that rescue operations are still ongoing as four people have been rescued, while three others have died.

“We are still here and have four machines working as at this moment,” he added.

Meanwhile, no fewer than 10 persons have been reported dead so far following the incident.

This is even as many people are still trapped in the rubble, including the Managing Director, Fourscore Heights Limited, Mr Femi Osibona, who owned the building, and some of his clients and engineers.

One of the workers who survived the incident, Gabriel Bassey, told PUNCH that about 50 persons were still trapped in the rubble.

He said, “This project, 360 Degree, was built by Fourscore Homes Limited. I was trying to plug my phone and not up to five seconds that I left the spot, I saw the building coming down and I ran to safety. We have a lot of people trapped in the rubble, who we need to bring out.

“When the incident happened, we brought out six dead bodies and we still have like 30 Togolese and Nigerian bricklayers and four engineers and other workers. My boss, Mr Femi, is still trapped in the building. He was on the 18th floor with some of his clients, who wanted to buy the building, when the incident happened.”