Collapsed building
About 15 persons were killed Friday afternoon when a building collapsed at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) headquarters at Ikotun.
While different figures were being bandied in the media, the South-West Spokesperson for National Emergency Agency, NEMA, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye confirmed only three deaths but unconfirmed reports put the figure at 15.
According to Farinloye, “The collapsed building was a five storey building which was initially a two storey building. The additional three were being constructed when it collapsed.
“The church members have been very aggressive and tried attacking emergency responders. Before emergency responders’ arrival, about 15 persons were said to have been rescued. On arrival, we rescued three persons and a child, while three dead bodies were also recovered . Many are said to still be trapped under.”
When contacted, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Miss Ngozi Braide, could not give the exact number of casualties, saying that the rescue operation was still ongoing..
Braide said: “Officers are already on rescue mission. I cannot confirm the number of casualties now as rescue operation is ongoing and the injured have also been taken to the hospital for treatment. Police have condoned off the area in order to prevent any breakdown of law.”
The collapsed building was identified as the Guest House section of the sprawling compound housing the SCOAN headquarters.
According to reports, the structure was already in existence before the church decided to add two more floors to it.
The re-construction was on going in the building situated near the church’s main auditorium, and many construction workers said to be about 65 underneath its rubbles.
Those who were trapped under the debris included foreigners, some kitchen staff and construction workers.
Ambulances were seen at the scene conveying the injured and dead to Igando General Hospital, Primex Hospital Igando and Isolo General Hospital.
According to reports, some of the victims were allegedly rejected by some private hospitals, which could not accommodate them because they had many victims, they were taken to the Isolo General Hospital. Some workers in the church who would not want to be identified said the severely injured victims had their legs and hands cut off.
At the scene, there was pandemonium, as confused relatives of some of the lodgers were seen asking questions about their whereabouts.
It will be difficult to ascertain the exact figures of casualties as the church authorities were seen making deliberate attempts at cover up.
A large crowd of sympathisers thronged the premises of the popular church, leading to traffic gridlock in the area.
Men of the Lagos State Fire Service and Nigeria Police Force , were around to provide emergency services.
Some policemen were hostile to journalists, as a Corporal shot into the air when the crowd queried their hostility to journalists.
According to the coordinator of Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), Mrs. Adekemi Ogusaga the collapsed building was already in use with an eatery on the first floor while the remaining five floors served as guest house.
Ogusaga, who coordinates BCPG’s activities in Igando/Ikotun areas said: “We suspect they want to cover up the whole thing, particularly when nobody could get pass the gate and high fence. A policeman came to where I was and asked for the owner of the vehicle and I said it was mine and he asked me to move.”
An official of Lagos State Building and Control Agency, LASBCA, Mrs Abimbola Animashaun yesterday said the state government could not confirm trace of any document stating that the building was approved.
Animashaun who led her team to the scene of the incident said none of the church members could provide evidence of approval for the collapsed building.
According to her, “We have been here challenging them on the building approval but they haven’t said anything convincing. They claimed to have approval but we could not confirm it. They were told to bring the building approval authorised by the state government but none of them could provide it.”
The Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Rasak Fadipe also said the number of dead could not be ascertained for now until the entire rescue operation was concluded.
Some of the emergency responders were the Lagos State Fire Service, Nigeria Police Force, Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), amongst others.
Emergency workers complained of hostility from the church workers who were intent on preventing them from doing their work.
Farinloye was quoted as saying that the operation was aborted, even though people were still trapped, because the church officials and members attacked the emergency workers.
He said, “The church attacked emergency workers including the LASEMA General Manager, Dr. Femi Osayintolu and some journalists.
“When we moved in, it was difficult to get access because they were not cooperative. They resisted our attempts to help because they said they are capable of doing the rescue work alone.
“Meanwhile, some people are still trapped there even up till now (as at 6pm). The stakeholders decided to move out after we had called for a meeting with the representatives of the church and they ignored us.
“Instead, they started attacking us. We saw the threat inherent in prolonging our stay and so we all agreed to leave because the lives of emergency workers are also important.”
Also, the church members and their officials alongside some over-zealous policemen prevented journalists from going in and even went as far as seizing cameras and destroying phones of anyone who attempted to take pictures of the building.
A corporal shot into the air when the crowd queried their hostility to journalists. A Nigerian Television Authority,NTA, journalist, had his camera seized by a policeman. Some worshipers were heard raining curses on whoever masterminded the incident, as they claimed that it was not a mere building collapse.
