Tragedy struck again in Rivers State, as a middle-aged man named Udeme is feared dead following the collapse of a two-storey building under construction at the Egbelu Mgbaraja axis in Ogbogoro Community, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.
This comes barely one week after the collapse of a 3-storey building at the Iriebe axis of the same LGA, although no life was lost in that incident.
An eyewitness, Mr. Jonathan Obey, said the building at Ogbogoro caved in on Monday, November 4, 2024, around 2 p.m. while the contractors were working on the 2nd floor, killing one of them while another narrowly escaped death with severe injuries.
He said a couple of deliberate infractions by the property developer may have caused the building to collapse.
“It’s a building collapse; as we speak, one person is trapped right inside the rubble. When we first came, we tried to rescue the person, but we couldn’t. When we did our investigation, we found out that they used substandard materials to execute the project. We also found out that the foundation was 3 feet for a 2-storey building, which was wrong.
“We also found out that some of the rods used by the builders were of low quality; the decking itself was not chained; there was no centre beam; it was supposed to have a centre beam and a pillar in the middle, but it doesn’t have that. They did not use enough cement in casting the first decking,“ the eyewitness stated.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Government has sealed the premises of the collapsed building and declared the property developer, Vincent Nwoye, wanted over the tragic incident.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Rt. Hon. Evans Bipi, during an on-the-spot inspection of the collapsed building, accused the developer of gross negligence and default of the extant building laws and regulations of Rivers State.
He cited failure by the property developer to obtain a government-approved building plan and use of substandard materials as the cause of the building collapse and avoidable death.
“We have repeatedly warned that if you are caught building without a government-approved building plan, you will certainly face the penalty.
“The government has sealed this property in question and declared the owner wanted because a life has been lost; we need to question him to know why he chose to use substandard materials to execute the project and why he decided to use a 12mm rod for a 2-storey building.
“It would interest the public to know that even the property does not have government approval; it is something the government will not take lightly; we will use this developer as a scapegoat for others to learn.
Hon. Evans Bipi also described the incident as one-too-many while warning property developers to desist from cutting corners and endangering the lives of innocent contractors.
He said the Rivers State Government sympathises with the bereaved family and the people of Ogbogoro Community over the unfortunate incident.
“Last week, we were at the site of a collapsed 3-storey building at Iriebe; though no life was lost in that incident, in this case a life was lost here in Ogbogoro.
We truly sympathise with the family and the Ogbogoro Community where the victim resides. We are going to take him to the mortuary and notify the family; we are also going to disclose the mortuary so that the family members can identify and recover his remains for burial.
“This should serve as a warning to those who build without a building plan and to those who build with substandard materials.
On his part, the Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr. Samuel Anya, expressed sadness over the loss of life in the building collapse due to the unethical and reckless practices of the property developer.
He accused the property developer of prioritising profits over the safety of the construction workers and prospective tenants.
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