A Senior Nursing Sister with the Ogun State Hospital Management Board, 45-year-old Oluwaseun Sodiya, and her daughter have been killed following a building collapse in Ajuwon, Ifo Local Government Area of the state.
Persecondnews had reported that the tragedy occurred at a two-storey structure featuring ground-floor shops and residential apartments on Baale Road, near the Ogun-Lagos border.
Sodiya, a planning committee member for Penpushing Media’s annual anniversary, was attempting to flee with her two children after hearing the building crack.
While her son managed to escape, Sodiya and her daughter were trapped under the rubble.
Emergency workers recovered their bodies the following day while their remains have been deposited at the General Hospital in Ifo, where Sodiya was formerly employed.
Burial arrangements for the mother and daughter have been scheduled for 11:00 am on Friday, July 31, at Ajilete along the Sango-Ota/Idiroko axis.
Meanwhile, Governor Dapo Abiodun has ordered a comprehensive probe into the disaster.
A statement from Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategy sent to Persecondnews, revealed that a preliminary multi-agency assessment pointed to a catastrophic structural failure that caused the lower levels to cave into the earth, leaving only sections of the top slab above the rubble.
Eyewitnesses noted that the building collapsed around 3:00 PM following heavy rainfall accompanied by thunder and lightning.
He said the emergency responders, including officials of the Ogun State Safety Office, State Fire Service, Ministries of Environment, Physical Planning and Urban Development, Works and Infrastructure, the Nigeria Police Force and the Ifo Local Government Water and Environmental Sanitation Department, immediately mobilised to the scene.
He pointed out that contractors working on projects within the Akute-Alagbole and Agbado axis deployed heavy equipment less than 10 minutes after the incident to aid rescue efforts.
The government said that while the heavy rainfall preceded the collapse, only detailed structural, geotechnical and forensic engineering investigations would determine whether the incident resulted from foundation defects, soil instability, construction flaws, the use of substandard materials or other underlying factors.
Akinmade said the governor had directed experts from the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Ogun State Building Control Agency, Building Production Management and Material Testing Agency and other relevant bodies to conduct comprehensive structural, soil and material assessments, as well as inspect adjoining buildings for possible compromise.
The statement added that the governor assured affected residents of government support and warned that anyone found to have violated building regulations, deviated from approved plans or compromised construction standards would face prosecution.
In the meantime, Ogun government has appreciated the Lagos State Government for its swift intervention, describing the collaboration as a demonstration of the strong partnership between both states in protecting lives and property.
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