Residents of the Federal Capital Territory are urging the federal government to conduct comprehensive integrity tests regularly on all buildings to prevent unexpected collapses.
This plea follows a recent building collapse in Kubwa, Abuja, which resulted in the rescue of four individuals, with two out of the four hospitalised.
Barely 24 hours after the tragic collapse of Saint Academy Secondary School in Jos, Plateau State, which claimed at least 22 lives and injured 154 others, another building has collapsed in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, in the bustling Kubwa area.
The two-story structure, previously a hotel converted into a residential building with single rooms, had been marked for evacuation by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).
Upon arrival at the scene, various agencies, including the Nigerian Emergency Management Agency, the FCT Emergency Management Agency, the Nigerian Police Force, the Special Security Squad, the Nigeria Fire Service, and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, were already conducting rescue and evacuation operations in the cordoned-off area.
Eyewitnesses, still in shock, shared their stories with TVC News, expressing their relief at surviving the incident.
The acting Director General of the FCT Emergency Management Agency confirmed to newsmen that four people had been rescued from the rubble, with two in critical condition.
Meanwhile, staff from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria were seen collecting samples from the site, likely to conduct integrity tests.
A bird’s eye view of the building revealed major cracks and holes, with many whispering that a warning was issued about the building’s structural weakness but not acted upon.
