Five people have now been confirmed dead following the collapse of a three-storey building in the Ojodu Berger area of Lagos State on Saturday.
Initially, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) reported a single fatality during rescue operations.
However, in an update released Sunday morning, the agency announced that four additional bodies had been recovered, bringing the total number of deaths to five.
According to a statement by the agency’s Permanent Secretary, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, “five adult fatalities had been recovered and taken to the morgue.”
He confirmed that “apparently, the number of rescued individuals remains at 13, as reported on Saturday.” The survivors are currently receiving pre-hospital care.
“All first responders remain on the scene to continue search and rescue operations. Further updates to follow,” Mr Oke-Osanyintolu added.
Recall, THE TIMES reported that the building — which housed the popular Equal Right Restaurant — collapsed at approximately 8 a.m., trapping several individuals including passersby.
Eyewitnesses revealed that construction work was ongoing at the time of the collapse. Emergency teams from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), LASEMA, and other response agencies were deployed to the scene after NEMA received a distress call at 8:32 a.m.
In a preliminary update, NEMA stated, “Twelve victims have been rescued so far, with one adult confirmed dead.” That figure was later revised to 13 rescued, including restaurant staff, customers, and a family who were inside the building at the time.
The exact cause of the collapse has yet to be determined. However, residents claim they had long voiced concerns about the building’s integrity.
“That building was a ticking time bomb,” one resident told Punch anonymously. “I barely went there to buy food because I was always afraid it would come down one day.”
LASEMA has attributed the incident to “unapproved structural modifications.” According to Mr Oke-Osanyintolu, “It was an old building converted into an eatery. Additional construction had been carried out on it before the structure finally collapsed.”
He also confirmed that five adult women were among those rescued and treated at the scene.
“We are proceeding methodically, using both heavy and light-duty equipment to get to ground zero,” he said. “We have credible information that more people may still be under the rubble, so our search is ongoing, layer by layer.”
By Saturday evening, the rescue operation — a joint effort involving NEMA, LASEMA, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Nigeria Police, and other agencies — was still underway.
Authorities have since cordoned off the site, and a formal investigation has been launched.
“This is a serious warning against tampering with ageing structures,” Mr Oke-Osanyintolu stated, urging property owners to seek appropriate approvals before making any alterations.