One arrested after building collapse in Enugu kills squatter

The Enugu State Government has confirmed that the police are questioning the representative of the developer of a collapsed building in the Independent Layout area of Enugu.

The building fell down around 6am on Sunday, killing one person. Four others were rescued alive and taken to the hospital.

A statement by Manzo Ezekiel, from the National Emergency Management Agency press unit, said emergency responders were told on arrival that some people were trapped under the rubble.

The rescue team quickly started search and rescue operations. An excavator was later brought in to help clear the debris.

By 11:20am, the joint rescue team had found the body of a male victim from the collapsed building.

"As of 11:20 a.m., the joint rescue team successfully recovered the lifeless body of one male victim from the collapsed structure.

"Rescue operations are still ongoing as emergency responders continue to search through the debris to ascertain whether other victims remain trapped beneath the rubble," Ezekiel stated.

Meanwhile, Dan Nwomeh, the Senior Special Assistant to the Enugu State Governor on Media, shared an update on Facebook on Sunday. He said a representative of the property owner had been handed over to the police regarding the incident.

Nwomeh quoted the Executive Chairman of the Enugu Capital Territory Development Agency, Uche Anya. He said the collapse was due to a developer who failed to follow building regulations.

Anya explained that the property was approved in 2021 but had been sealed by the agency for about six months. Officials found serious structural issues and non-compliance with the approved plan.

"This property collapsed in the early hours of the morning. We arrived here around 6am. When we arrived, we met one of the security men, who said that six people slept in the uncompleted property, but one of them was not around when the incident occurred," he said.

Anya mentioned that four people were rescued and taken to the hospital while responders continued searching for another possible victim.

"This property was approved in 2021 before the advent of this administration. We usually check on every construction at every stage. When I personally led the inspection here, we found serious integrity issues and non-compliance with their 2021 approval," Anya said.

He said he issued the first stop-work order, which led to the sealing of the property.

According to him, the owner’s representative, who lives abroad, had been in talks with the agency for about 30 to 40 days to fix the regulatory issues before the building collapsed.

He added that the representative was handed over to the police to assist with the investigation.

"I have handed the representative to the police, not necessarily for detention, but to help with the investigation. But this is really a very unfortunate situation," Anya said.

Nwomeh also quoted the Director of the Enugu State Fire Service, Okwudiri Oha, praising the quick response of emergency agencies and the mobilization of rescue equipment to the scene.

Oha said the security guard told rescuers that six people were supposed to be at the site, but one had left before the collapse.

"We were able at that initial time to rescue four persons. Out of the four, two sustained minor injuries and they were all rushed to a health facility for proper checks," he said.

He added that rescuers later found another person from the rubble, but their condition was still unknown.

"Then, as you have seen, we have been working. The last person we just recovered was the fifth person. It is when you get to a health facility that you know whether he is still alive," Oha stated.

Chinasa Mbah, the Executive Secretary of the Enugu State Emergency Management Agency, said they would excavate the entire wreckage to make sure no victim remained trapped under the debris.

"We are going to excavate everything because you can see the machines that the government brought. We will excavate everything to ensure no survivor or body is left," she said.