19th June, 2012
A mast belonging to Diamond Bank Plc collapsed on Saturday at about 2 p.m. in Idumagbo area of Lagos State, southwest Nigeria.
P.M.NEWS gathered that the mast was installed four years ago when the bank opened the branch.
Checks revealed that the two victims who were badly injured were rushed to the General Hospital, Lagos Island but later moved to St. Nicholas Hospital where they are receiving treatment.
The victims, whose identities could not be ascertained as they were rushed for treatment before P.M.NEWS got to the scene, were said to live in the neighbourhood.
One of the security guards attached to the bank told P.M.NEWS that when the information got to the manager of the bank, he went to the Adeniji Adele Divisional Headquarters to inform the police.
“The management was not around. It was neighbours that conveyed the victims to the hospital. Immediately the incident happened, we informed the management and they visited the hospital,” he said.
Confirming the incident, Joe Igbokwe, Head, Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA), said he received a distress call that a rooftop mast belonging to Diamond Bank Plc collapsed at Idumagbo, Lagos Island and injured two persons badly.
He told P.M.NEWS that the mast, about 150ft, was mounted on the rooftop of the bank.
Stressing that over 3,000 masts in the state were not being maintained by their owners, he added: “before mounting them, they should have looked at the structure.
“Today’s unfortunate incident adds to many cases of collapsed masts since year 2000 due to neglect and poor maintenance culture on the part of mast users in Lagos. This cannot just continue,” he added.
He urged mast and base station users to pay attention to the maintenance of their structures as a matter of urgency adding that there were plans by the state government to move round the state to assess such structures and take necessary action against defaulters.
—Ayodeji Dedeigbo