Baby girl, 8 others killed in Lagos building collapse

A baby girl was among nine people killed when a three-storey commercial building collapsed on Old Ojo Road near Alakija Bus Stop along the Lagos-Badagry expressway in Satellite Town, Lagos, on Thursday.

The building, which housed several businesses including generator dealerships, cybercafés and Point-of-Sale (POS) outlets, caved in at about 11 a.m., trapping dozens of occupants beneath the rubble.

Emergency responders rescued 26 people with varying degrees of injuries, while search operations continued amid fears that more victims could still be trapped.

Eyewitnesses said the collapse sent residents, traders and commuters fleeing for safety before many returned to assist rescue teams.

A police officer at the scene, who spoke anonymously, said several people, including children and infants, were initially rescued shortly after the incident, while efforts continued to reach others trapped beneath the debris.

One eyewitness, identified as Musa, said he was riding a motorcycle towards Mile 2 when the building suddenly came down.

“I was going to Mile 2 when I suddenly heard a loud noise behind me. I quickly moved ahead, turned back and saw that the mall had collapsed,” he said.

Another resident, Sule, said he narrowly escaped the disaster.

“I had just arrived at a shop outside the building less than five minutes earlier when I heard a loud noise and saw dust everywhere. I grabbed my child and ran for safety,” he recounted.

Some residents alleged that the building had shown signs of structural defects for years, with one resident claiming his employer relocated a cybercafé from the premises two years ago over fears that the structure could collapse.

Several residents also alleged that the Lagos State Government had previously marked the building for evacuation because of concerns over its structural integrity.

Abdul-Lateef, a witness who lost a friend in the incident, said, “My friend is dead inside there. He was trying to run out when a block hit him. There are casualties.”

In one of the dramatic rescue efforts, emergency workers pulled a young boy alive from the rubble, drawing cheers from anxious residents gathered at the scene.

Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, the permanent secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) confirmed that nine bodies, including that of a baby girl, had been recovered, while 26 people were rescued alive.

“Multi-agency rescue operations are ongoing, with responders working systematically to search for and extricate anyone trapped beneath the rubble,” he said.

“As of 4:20 p.m., a total of 26 persons had been rescued, while nine fatalities, including a baby girl, had been recorded. There are reports that additional persons, including shop owners who had resumed business, may still be trapped.”

He urged residents to stay away from the disaster site to allow emergency workers unrestricted access.

Also confirming the incident, Margaret Adeseye, the controller-general of the Lagos state fire and rescue service said firefighters from the Ijegun-Egba Fire Station responded immediately after receiving a distress call.

According to her, the rescued victims, who sustained varying degrees of injuries, were handed over to medical personnel for treatment, while the deceased were evacuated to the Navy Town Hospital in Alakija.

Emergency responders at the scene included officials of LASEMA, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Federal Fire Service, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Navy, the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps and the Nigerian Red Cross Society.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Lagos Chapter, Dr Tony Kolawole, blamed recurring building collapses on regulatory failures, weak enforcement and negligence.

“Buildings do not collapse by accident; they collapse because people deliberately cut corners, use substandard materials, manipulate approvals, ignore professional advice and evade statutory inspections. Every collapsed building is evidence of negligence, not fate,” he said.

Kolawole called for stricter enforcement of building regulations and the prosecution of developers, contractors, consultants, property owners and public officials found culpable in violations leading to building collapses.