The death toll from the catastrophic collapse of a three-storey building in the Alakija area, along the busy Lagos-Badagry Expressway, has risen to nine following the official conclusion of search and rescue operations on Friday.
Officials confirmed that emergency responders worked deep into the night and through Friday morning to clear the remaining rubble. In total, 27 individuals were successfully pulled out alive from the debris.
A race against time under the rubble
The structure suddenly gave way at approximately 11:40 a.m. on Thursday, trapping dozens of trading vendors and residents beneath tons of concrete.
The disaster triggered an immediate, mass deployment of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Response Team alongside community volunteers.
By Thursday evening, the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, had confirmed eight fatalities.
Providing a final update on Friday, LASEMA spokesperson Olawale Afolabi revealed that the body of a ninth victim had been recovered as the machinery reached the foundation layers.
Among the nine fatalities were four adults who died instantly upon impact, and five subsequent victims, including a heartbreaking discovery of a two-year-old baby girl.
27 survivors transferred to hospitals
“Twenty-seven persons were rescued alive through the coordinated efforts of the LASEMA Response Team, sister agencies, and members of the community,” Afolabi stated on Friday.
“Victims received immediate pre-hospital care from LASAMBUS and were transferred to nearby hospitals for further treatment.”
The remains of the deceased have been systematically bagged and transferred to the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU) for formal identification before onward release to their grieving families.
Sanwo-Olu orders immediate integrity checks
In direct response to the tragedy, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has issued a strict directive to the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) to seal the zone and launch immediate structural integrity assessments on all adjoining buildings along that corridor.
LASBCA has been ordered to ruthlessly enforce compliance with regional building codes to prevent a secondary collapse, as many properties in the Alakija axis have reportedly been compromised by illegal extensions and poor material handling.
LASEMA has urged members of the public to stay vigilant and actively report any cracked, tilted, or distressed structures to the state’s toll-free emergency lines (112 or 767) before disaster strikes.
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