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According to the occupants, no fewer than eight people were critically injured, with some whose necks were broken and were rushed to Zenith Hospital in the same area while some were taken to the General Hospital…CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
Several occupants were injured when the three-storey building located along Adeniji Adele Road, behind Sasi Palace, Sasi Lane, Isale Eko, Lagos Island, collapsed in the early hours of Thursday.
Speaking with SaharaReporters at the scene of the incident, some of the occupants of the building said the building collapsed around 6:15am following the activities of a brother to their landlord.
According to the occupants, no fewer than eight people were critically injured, with some whose necks were broken and were rushed to Zenith Hospital in the same area while some were taken to the General Hospital.
Lamenting their losses, five of the occupants who spoke with SaharaReporters said the house is owned by Asesi family, noting that their landlord never notified them of any plan to demolish or renovate the house.
Rather, in December between September and December 2024, many of them were made to pay one year rent, some of which will expire in August, September, October and November 2025.
“We are the ones who are living in that building,” one of the occupants, an aged woman, told SaharaReporters.
Another of the occupant, a young woman who said she lives on the First Floor of the building said, “The deal between the landlord and the developer ended in December last year.
“We live on the First Floor and all of us here now pay rent to the landlord. Those living on the second and third floor were paying to the developer.
“After the developer handed over the house to them (the landlord) last December, they did not tell us that they wanted to do anything in the house.
“My rent expired on November 15; Mummy’s own, pointing to one of the aged women, expired in December.
“In December last year, they collected one year’s rent from us without telling us anything. It was in April this year that we started hearing from people living in the neighbouring houses that they want to demolish the house. Meanwhile, they did not meet us or hold a meeting to tell us anything about the house.
“They did not tell us to look for houses or stop collecting rent from us. This year, they still collected rent from us, this old man here, his rent still remains six months. So, since they did not tell us anything, we thought it was a rumour.
“Our landlord, Kabiru, who collects rent from us did not tell us anything. It was his elder brother, Hakim Osira, who we did not know, came last week and said that we should all leave the house before the house collapses.
“He started breaking down all the shops on the ground floor. He broke down all the pillars holding the house at the back. It was at that point that the house collapsed from the back this morning.
“Now, himself and our landlord who is living in the next building away from our own have run away after the house collapsed this morning. Since morning, we have not seen them.
“We don’t know Hakim Osira because he is not the person we pay rent to. How can someone we don’t come and ask us to pack out of our house?”
Enhoing her explanation, the five occupants told SaharaReporters that this was not the first Kabiru and his brother had treated tenants in such a manner.
“People have been saying that this is not the first time they are doing this kind of thing,” they said.
According to them, officers of the Lagos Police Command came to the scene in the morning and searched for the landlord and his brother but did not see them.
Confirming that there was no casualty, the occupants said, “Nobody died but people who were on the ground floor, the house fell on them but they have been rescued and taken to Zenith Hospital over there and some who were injured seriously were taken to General Hospital.
“Some of them broke their necks. Some of them have not been able to open their eyes.”
Lamenting that they could not take out any of their properties, they said, “We did not even see well to bring out our properties. Everything has been destroyed there. Our properties have been wasted there.
Showing bruises on her belly, one of the occupants who said she fell from the first floor when the building collapsed said, “See wounds all over my belly. I fell from the balcony.”
In apparent tears and anger, the occupants shouted, “They are two brothers. They did not tell us anything and they wanted to kill all of us. Now we are hearing that they claimed that they gave us quit notice. They did not give us anything.”
They questioned, “How could they have given us quit notice when they collected one year rent from us? They always disturb us. If you owe them one month rent, they will never allow you to breathe.”
Whereas the occupants said at least eight people were injured, an official of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) who spoke with SaharaReporters said only four people were injured and had been taken to the hospital.
The LASBCA official, Henry Adegoke, who also told SaharaReporters that the building collapsed because it was over-stressed.
Adegoke also claimed that the occupants were given a long period of notice to vacate the building but while some occupants packed out, the ones he described as stubborn ones were the affected victims.
“This is Adeniji Adele Road. This is Sasi Palace, and the building that collapsed is very over-distressed. The three-storey building is really not strong enough.
“We thank God there is no any life lost but there are some injured persons, I think four who are at the hospital.”
Asked if the agency had earlier marked the building unfit and for demolition, Adegoke said, “yes, the house has been marked before. I think the landlord had even given the tenants eviction notice.
“I think most of them have moved out but the ones that are still proving stubborn were the ones inside the house.”
SaharaReporters’ efforts to see and speak with the injured victims at Zenith Hospital failed as the hospital management did not grant access to the patients.
When visited the hospital, one of the nurses on duty claimed the victims had been discharged but a receptionist who countered her claim said, “We don’t allow people access to our patients. Before we can do that, you will have to go to the local government and take permission from the local government chairman.”CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
