Four people have been confirmed dead after a two-storey building collapsed in the Popo-Giwa area of Ilorin, Kwara State capital, on Tuesday morning.
Gatekeepers News reports rhat the building reportedly collapsed in the early hours, trapping eight members of a family under the rubble. Emergency responders later rescued four people alive and recovered four others who were confirmed dead.
Magaji Salaudeen, secretary of the Kwara State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), confirmed the casualty figure at the scene.
“We rescued eight people. Four are still alive, but four are dead. Both the dead and those still living have been taken to the hospital,” he said.
The incident occurred around the Popo-Giwa/Abemi area, near Masalasi Gogoro, in Ilorin West Local Government Area. Reports said the victims included women and children.
Kwara State Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Lawal Olohungbebe, said emergency responders arrived at the scene shortly before 6am.
He commiserated with the affected family on behalf of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and urged residents to comply with building regulations.
The Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, also visited the scene and said there were signs of leakage around the toilet area of the building, which he identified as a boys’ quarters. He urged residents to pay attention to possible structural weaknesses.
The rescue operation involved SEMA, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), police, fire service, emergency ambulance personnel, KWARTMA and Nigerian Red Cross.
