At least seven people were injured when a three-storey building under construction collapsed at Aboga along Igwuruta-Etche Road in Ikwerre Local Government Area, Rivers State. The incident occurred at about 1:30 pm on Saturday, January 4, 2025, while workers were on-site.
An eyewitness said no lives were lost, and seven of the nine workers were rescued with injuries, while two others jumped off the building. “Getting here, I saw the building collapsing. While some of the workers were able to jump out, others could not as the building collapsed on them,” he said.
Another eyewitness, who did not want his name in print, said, “I heard a loud sound while I was in the house; when I rushed out, I saw the building collapsing. Some persons from this area and passersby started using axes to break through the debris to rescue the victims before the government and police came to join the rescue effort.”
Emeka Kalu, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, confirmed the incident on Sunday afternoon. He said that initial rescue efforts by residents were soon joined by the Ikwerre Local Government Area authorities and officials from the Rivers State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, as well as the Ministry of Special Duties.
He stated that the ministries deployed excavators, a fire truck, and an ambulance to ensure the timely rescue of the victims, some of whom were trapped in the rubble. The State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Evans Bipi, visited the scene and expressed his regret over the incident.
Bipi attributed the collapse to the developer’s use of substandard materials despite previous warnings. “It is unfortunate that we are beginning the year with this tragic incident, though no life was lost. This is the fourth building collapse we have witnessed in the state since I assumed office,” he said.
He noted that using 12mm rods for decking the building violated construction standards. Bipi also accused the developer of building without a government-approved plan and ordered the site to be sealed pending an investigation. The commissioner has summoned the property owner for questioning.
“As a government, we are not happy with the repeated causes of building collapse in the state that have claimed lives, injured several persons, and caused avoidable damages and losses to developers in the state. Let me warn that we will no longer condone a situation where some builders will continue to violate the building code, including building without a government-approved building plan and compromising safety standards by using substandard materials in a bid to save cost.”
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