Rivers govt seals collapsed three-storey building site

The Rivers State Government has sealed the site of a three-storey building under construction that collapsed on Monday night at Rumuolumeni in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.

The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Amairigha Edward-Hart, sealed the site after leading officials of the ministry to inspect the extent of the damage and assess the possible cause of the collapse.

Speaking after the inspection, Edward-Hart said the incident may have been caused by the engagement of incompetent structural engineers, the use of substandard building materials or violations of approved building plans.

He stressed that, following the incident, the ministry will “intensify monitoring of approved building projects across the state to ensure developers strictly comply with approved building specifications.”

The commissioner added that the ministry will keep the site under close watch to ensure the developer does not return to continue construction.

He further noted that it is yet to be confirmed whether the building had official approval, as the owner of the property has not been identified.

Edward-Hart also warned that “anyone found erecting buildings without proper approval will face sanctions in line with the law.”

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Belema Ekine, said that despite government efforts to enforce building regulations, cases of building collapse still occur.

He described the incident as unfortunate.

He added that “the association will carry out a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the collapse,” noting that anyone found culpable will be sanctioned accordingly.

No casualties were recorded, and no worker was on site at the time of the state government’s visit.