Residents of the collapsed building on Adeniji Adele Road in the Isale Eko area had received eviction orders before the structure gave way, a source from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) disclosed.
The building came down in the early hours of Thursday, injuring several people and prompting a swift response from agencies including LASTMA, the Nigeria Police Force, and other emergency teams.
A LASEMA official, who didn’t want to be named, said the property had earlier been flagged as unsafe by the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) and was marked for demolition.
“The building had been defused and marked by LASBCA a while back. It was clearly in a dangerous state. LASEMA responded promptly this morning after the incident,” the source stated.
The official also revealed that the occupants were served quit notices but refused to leave.
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“Our investigation shows that quit notices were served to the occupants, but they refused to vacate the premises,” the official added.
Another official from a rescue agency confirmed that no one was currently trapped under the rubble.
Due to how closely packed the surrounding buildings are, only manual excavation has been possible.
“Given the compact nature of buildings on Lagos Island, bringing in heavy equipment has been difficult. For now, we’re using manual methods, but fortunately, no one is currently trapped,” the source said.