Occupants Of Collapsed House Count Losses

Victims of the building that collapsed yesterday, at Maryland, Lagos, southwest Nigeria, have told P.M.NEWS they have lost goods and other valuable items worth millions of naira.

Assistant Director, Administration and Corporate Affairs of Chartered Institute of Taxation, Nigeria, Gbolahan Bilewu, whose office is one of the flats in the collapsed building, said his company lost office equipment like furniture, vital documents and other items worth millions of naira.

He said though the items have not been quantified, they were destroyed when the building crumbled yesterday.

Also, owner of a furniture company which occupied the building named OkGad could not salvage the goods and other items.

One of the staff of the company who craved for anonymity said the company would have lost valuables worth millions of naira.

Moshood Kayode, a youth leader in the area blamed members of the Nigeria Police Force from Area ‘F’ Command for the loss of the properties.

“When the incident occurred, we immediately contacted them, but they refused to come. The companies contributed about N30,000 which they rejected only to turn round and arrest the boys who are currently being detained,” he said.

Other shocked occupants of the building could not give estimates of what they have lost to the incident.

As at press time, officials from the Lagos State Material Testing Laboratory were at the scene of the incident where they took some materials like iron, concrete and other items for laboratory test.

Sources said the prompt response of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, prevented loss of lives.

P.M.NEWS gathered that occupants of the building felt some vibrations yesterday afternoon and quickly moved out of the building, which collapsed a few hours later.

—Paul Sanusi