We escaped by the whiskers, say residents as 2 secure injuries in building collapse in Lagos Island

We all took to our heels but I immediately returned back when I remembered that my daughter was inside. With the help of other people around, we were able to rescue my daughter, Fatimo and Alaba Audio, a 21year-old son of my neighbor. My daughter was taken to Fehintola Private hospital at Bamgbose street, while Alaba was taken to the General hospital for medical attention

LAGOS ISLAND, Lagos, Nigeria – No fewer than 24 people today escaped death, while two children sustained internal injuries when another building collapsed at Kakawa street, on the Lagos Island. The building situated at 50A Kakawa Street caved in and fell on a nearby bungalow behind on 47/49 Odunlami street, Lagos Island.

One of the survivors, an Islamic scholar, Ahmed Lawal who resides at 50A Kakawa Street with his family and his affected daughter told our correspondent that his daughter went to the toilet and was returning back when the building collapsed.

“When the incident happened at about 12.50pm, majority of us (tenants) in 50A Kakawa street were outside, trying to assist a shop owner at the down floor of the collapsed building when it came down. We all took to our heels but I immediately returned back when I remembered that my daughter was inside”, he said. With the help of other people around, we were able to rescue my daughter, Fatimo and Alaba Audio, a 21year-old son of my neighbor. My daughter was taken to Fehintola Private hospital at Bamgbose street, while Alaba was taken to the General hospital for medical attention”, Ahmed narrated.

The owner of the shop under the collapsed building, Muritala Ageshin was of full praise to God for sparing him and his junior brother who were packing out their goods from the boutique’s shop when the incident occurred.

“Me and my brother were inside the shop, packing out our belongings because the Lagos State government officials came last Friday and gave all the tenants in the building quit notice with instruction that they are coming today to demolish it. And every tenant has packed out at weekend, remaining us that still have some little items to pack out. I heard some noises three times while packing our property, but I thought it was from outside and when it happened, I broke my shop glass door for me and my junior brother to escaped”, he claimed.

An old woman, Mrs Johnson who was among the tenants at 50A Kakawa street gave all praises to God for making them alive, saying that “Myself and some other tenants who were still at home were outside because of heat, when the incident happened”.

She however appealed on behalf of other tenants in 50A Kakawa, to the State government to come to their aid, saying, “the LASBCA people have come to send us out because they want to demolish our building to get us a place to stay for now. It was the marked building that collapsed on our own and we have not prepared for this incident. Please, government should assist us because we don’t have anywhere to sleep now.

It would be recalled that the collapsed building was also beside disputed Tinubu family land at Kakawa, the land which we leant to have been bought by the National leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu but the family rejected him, saying the purported land belongs to all family members and nobody can buy it. The matter is presently in court.