Occupants salvagiing their belongings.
Some
of the occupants of a three-storey building at 353 Agege Motor Road,
which collapsed on Tuesday, have relocated to a nearby mosque.
The collapse, which occurred around 3pm, claimed a nine-month-old baby.
An occupant of the building, Mrs. Ajoke
Imam, said she lived in the building with her husband and children for
about 10 years before the incident.
She said the government had warned the
occupants of the imminent collapse of the building two years ago, adding
that they remained in the building because they could not afford
alternative accommodation.
She said, “My children and I were all
inside the house when we heard a loud noise. We quickly rushed out,
leaving all our belongings behind. After the collapse, sympathisers
assisted us and we were able to salvage some of our property.
“We were warned two years ago about the
imminent collapse and the landlord’s children had even stopped
collecting rent from us since 2011 but because we could not find
alternative accomodation, we remained here until the building collapsed.
“We have been rendered homeless and many
of us passed the night at Fadilatu Shehu Isa Tijaniat Central Mosque,
Amu Street. We will sleep there until we find somewhere else.”
Our correspondent learnt that apart from
the occupants of the collapsed building, people living in nearby
buildings had also been instructed by the state government to evacuate
because the buildings had become a threat.
An official of the Lagos State Emergency
Management Agency, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of
anonymity, said the other buildings, located in the same compound, were
in front of the collapsed building and were obstructing work.
He said, “Although the collapsed
building is located on 353 Agege Motor Road, there are three other
four-storey buildings in the same compound and because they are in
front, they are located on 36 and 38 Amu Street.
“One of the other buildings has been
demolished for easy access to the collapsed building while the other
ones might be demolished on Thursday (today) as they were affected by
the collapse and may also pose a threat.”
Some of the occupants of the other buildings blamed the state government for not doing enough to prevent the collapse.
An occupant of one of the affected
buildings, said she was pained because the house rent had just been
increased to N300, 000. She said her house and shop were both located in
the building.
While crying profusely, she said, “I
live in a three-bedroom flat in one of the affected buildings and I also
have a supermarket downstairs. The rent is N300, 000. I have been
warning occupants of the collapsed building to evacuate but they never
listened.
“Now, because of their stubbornness, all
of us are paying for it. All my belongings have been thrown outside. I
do not even know where my husband and children will sleep.”
PUNCH
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