The developer of the three-storey building that collapsed at Aboga along Igwuruta-Etche Road in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State has been summoned for questioning by the state government.
The incident occurred around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and resulted in the rescue of seven people.
Although no life was lost, it was said that seven of the nine workers working in the building were rescued with varying degrees of injuries, while two of them jumped from the building.
The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Emeka Kalu, confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday afternoon.
While Kalu described the incident as unfortunate, he said in addition to initial rescue efforts by residents in the neighborhood, the Ikwerre Local Government Area Authority and officials from the Rivers State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development and the Ministry of Special Duties, moved in just in time , while responding to emergency calls.
He said the ministries immediately deployed excavators, fire engines and ambulances to ensure timely rescue of the victims, some of whom were trapped in the rubble.
Speaking to journalists on site, State Commissioner for Spatial Planning and Urban Development Evans Bipi said it was unfortunate to start the year with the collapse of a building.
Bipi attributed the incident to the developer's use of substandard materials, which he said he had warned about in previous cases.
The commissioner said: “It is regrettable that we start the year with this tragic incident, although no life was lost. This is the fourth building collapse we have experienced in the state since I took office.”
“Preliminary investigations at the accident site indicate that the building may have collapsed due to the developer’s use of substandard materials.
“In particular, the use of 12mm bars for the decking of a building is a clear violation of building standards. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident as similar cases of building collapses in the state have been linked to the same cause – the use of substandard materials.”
He also accused the developer of building without a government-approved building plan and ordered the site to be cordoned off until the cause of the building collapse was investigated.
According to the statement, the commissioner has asked the property owner to report to the ministry for questioning as part of the investigation.
He further said, “As a government, we are not happy with the repeated cases of building collapses in the state which have claimed lives, injured several persons and caused avoidable damage and loss to developers in the state.”
“Let me warn that we will no longer tolerate a situation where some builders continue to violate building regulations, including building without a government-approved building plan and compromising safety standards by using substandard materials to save costs .”