A disagreement has ensued between the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and the State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) on whether House 57, Egerton Street in Oke Arin on Lagos Island collapse on Monday on not.
LASEMA had earlier announced the collapse of the building but LASBCA described LASEMA’s assertion as “untrue,” saying no building collapsed.
A national newspaper quoted Director of the Lagos State Fire Service, Rasaki Musibau, as saying that the building had a partial collapse.
LASBCA, however, insist that no such thing happened.
Its spokesperson Mrs Titi Ajirotutu said the building had already been demolished by LASBCA.
Mrs Ajirotutu said a scavenger was injured in the process of carting away door steel and other materials.
LASEMA on his twitter handle said @lasemasocial said the building had been marked by LASBCA for demolition.
The agency wrote: “The officials (LASBCA) were on top of the building when some scavengers tried to remove the doors on the ground floor and the remaining parts of the building collapsed on them.
“The four scavengers sustained minor injuries and had been taken to the nearest hospital before the arrival of LRT (LASEMA Response Team.)
Musibau, according to the paper, said four rescued victims have been taken to a hospital.
“Information from our men at the scene showed that it was a partial collapse. They have removed four persons trapped in the building. They were all rescued alive. They have been taken to the hospital for treatment as I speak,” he said.
LASBCA General Manager Mr Lekan Shodeinde in a statement last night reiterated that there was no fresh building collapse in the state as being trending on the social media today.
Shodeinde said “a three-floor structure was marked as distressed and is undergoing demolition as at press time. The building in question is within a built-up area flanked by other adjoining structures at the rear.”
He added that the demolition of the distressed building became necessary in order to avert another disaster.
According to him, the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode will leave no stone unturned to sanitise the building construction industry in the state by removing all the distressed, illegal structures and buildings prone to collapse as well as those that were not in conformity with the state building laws.
The general manager appealed to Lagosians to cooperate with the State Government by moving out of all buildings marked as distressed and also stay away from demolition sites.
