Five individuals have been rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building in Abuja, the nation’s capital, according to a statement from Josephine Adeh, the Police Public Relations Officer for the FCT Police Command, on Sunday.
Superintendent Adeh reported that the building, located in Vidaz Estate within the Sabon Lugbe extension of the FCT, collapsed on Saturday.
“Our preliminary investigations reveal that the building was previously demolished by the FCT Authorities due to its location in an illegally acquired area,” she said.
“Regrettably, the structure was further compromised by scavengers who had been tampering with the remnants for scrap metal, ultimately leading to its secondary collapse.
“A total of five individuals were successfully rescued from the debris, and there were no reported fatalities.
The FCT police spokesperson called on the public to “respect the boundaries of demolished structures and construction sites, ensuring their safety and preventing similar occurrences in the future.”
Earlier, eyewitnesses reported that around 40 people were trapped inside the collapsed building.
This incident adds to a growing list of building collapses in the nation’s capital. Just weeks ago, a two-story residential building collapsed in Abuja’s Kubwa area, close to Cupid Hotel on Sultan Dasuki Way.
In that previous case, four people were rescued, while an unconfirmed number of others were initially believed to be trapped.