Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, said this giving an update about the incident.

Omotoso, who addressed the press conference in the company of the Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Mr. Tayo Bamgbose-Martins, and the Commissioner for  Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, said an autopsy would be carried out on the corpses before they would be released to their families.

He said the autopsy is important because the law says that whenever there is death due to incidents like the collapsed building, an autopsy must be done before the body is released.

He said: “So far now, we have recorded 38 dead bodies. And as you know, we have nine survivors. Some bodies are ready for identification. So, people can go to IDH, Yaba as from 4 pm to identify the bodies of their loved ones.

“For bodies that may be very difficult to identify, we are going to be conducting DNA tests for such bodies to be identified. There are rules for giving bodies to people.

“There are some of the bodies that are in a state that it would be unprofessional for the hospitals to allow people to look at them in that present state and for them to be released the way they are. That is why we have the little delay that we are having.

“But if you go to IDH, Yaba from 4 pm, you should be able to see some of the bodies and be able to identify who you want to identify.

“Yesterday, Mr. Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu said one of the patients at the General Hospital was taken to LASUTH for a test and all that.

“The patient has been brought back to the hospital and he is said to be doing well. And all patients who were there are doing well.”

The Commissioner also debunked reports that the rescue operation team at the collapsed building stopped the search and rescue work on Thursday.

He said work was still ongoing and would continue until the government could account for everybody inside the building at the time of collapse and certify that nobody is left behind in the collapsed building.

The multi-sectoral search and rescue operation is led by teams of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), with the support of construction giants, Julius Berger, Craneburg, HiTech, and China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC).

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Professor Yemi Osinbajo noted that he has no connection with the land or the high-rise building that collapsed while under construction on Gerrard Road in Ikoyi, Lagos.

In a statement on Friday, the Vice President’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, stated that his principal has no interest in the said property.

“Let it be made absolutely clear that Professor Yemi Osinbajo does not own and has never owned the said land,” Akande said. “He has also never been involved, in any shape or form, in the development of this or any other land since he became Vice President.

“At no time whatsoever did the VP buy this or any other piece of land from Chief Michael Ade-Ojo (Chairman of Elizade Motors) or entered into any transaction for the sale of that land or any other piece of land from Chief Ade-Ojo or anyone for that matter.

“All property and assets owned by the Vice President have been publicly declared.”

The Vice President’s spokesman faulted a report by a media outfit which suggested that Professor Osinbajo owned the land upon which the collapsed building stood.

The report, he noted, also claimed that Mr Ade-Ojo sold the land to Osinbajo while Vice President, at some point, intervened with the regulatory authorities in Lagos to unseal the property.

But Akande insisted that the Vice President never spoke with the state governor or any other official of the government regarding the unsealing of the building.

He added that his principal never acted to influence any other regulatory action on the collapsed building or any other structure in Lagos.

“The Vice President restates categorically that he has no interest whatsoever, and has never had any interest, either legally or beneficially, in the land, the building or development,” said the Vice President’s spokesman.

“The wickedness and viciousness of a lie that seeks to utilise a tragedy where so many people have lost their lives, even as rescue efforts are ongoing, and in wanton disregard to the feelings and untold grief of their loved ones for political gain, reveals dangerous desperation, as well as the heartlessness of the perpetrators of such despicable lies.

“The Vice President has referred this disgraceful publication to his lawyers for prompt legal action.”

His suspension comes about 24 hours after a high-rise building collapsed in the Ikoyi area of the state.

The Governor, in a statement signed by Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, described the suspension as a “first step” towards finding out “what went wrong” to cause the building collapse.

The State Government is also setting up an independent panel to probe the collapse.

“Members of the panel will be drawn from the Nigeria Institute of Architects (NIA), Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) and other professional bodies,” the statement said.

“It will independently investigate the remote and immediate causes of the incident and make recommendations on how to prevent future occurrence. The investigation is not part of the internal probe already being conducted by the government.”

At least nine persons have been rescued alive from the rubble but 14 have been discovered dead.

The survivors have been taken to the hospital.

Meanwhile, rescue operations have continued on the site to save more lives.

“Mr. Sanwo-Olu thanks all first responders and those who have joined the rescue efforts, including construction giants Julius Berger, Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA),” the statement said.

“A help desk is to be set up at the site for people seeking information about their relations who may have been involved in the incident. The media are hereby notified that the government will be releasing information whenever the need arises to avoid any sensational reporting of the unfortunate incident.”

Deputy Governor visits the site

Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, was at the collapsed building site on Tuesday to “encourage rescuers and comfort relations of those trapped in the rubble”, the statement said.

“Dr. Hamzat left the site for the Lagos Island General Hospital to see the survivors.

“The government will embark on further foundation and borehole acidic level tests to ascertain the impact on the collapsed building. These tests, particularly the borehole acidic level, is important for the entire Gerrard Road and adjoining areas.

“We wish to state that there will be no cover-up in the search for the truth in this incident. If anybody is found to have been indicted, he or she will face the law.

“It is important to restate that all developers and property owners are required to adhere strictly to all Building Codes and Planning Regulations to ensure the safety of lives and property. Those who ignore such regulations, breaking seals and defying enforcement, will surely be prosecuted.”

The recovery of more bodies, two days after the building collapsed, takes the death toll to 22, with search and rescue operations ongoing.

Nine persons have been rescued so far.

The building – a high-rise under construction located along Gerrard Road in the nation’s commercial hub – collapsed on Monday afternoon.

It remains unclear the total number of people in the building at the time of the collapse. But witnesses say dozens may have been trapped.

Rescue operation so far has accounted for 31 people – nine alive and 22 dead.

On Tuesday, a day after the collapse, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu suspended the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Gbolahan Oki, indefinitely.

He also announced that an independent panel will probe and investigate the remote and immediate causes of the incident, as well as make recommendations on how to prevent future collapses.

This is in addition to an internal probe the government is already conducting.

“There will be absolutely no cover-up in the search for truth in this incident. If anyone is found to be indicted, he/she will definitely face the law,” the governor vowed.

“My sincere condolences go to the families who have lost loved ones. May the souls of the departed rest in peace.

“My appreciation (goes) to the first responders and all who have joined the rescue efforts. A help desk has been set up at the site for people seeking information about their relations who may have been involved in the incident.”

Members of the panel to be constituted, according to Governor Sanwo-Olu, will be drawn from the Nigeria Institute of Architects (NIA), Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), and other professional bodies.

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The number of persons trapped is yet unconfirmed but workers and neighbours scrambled to dig people out of the rubble of the collapsed building, according to reports.

At least four persons have been rescued from the rubble, according to a Channels Television reporter at the scene.

Ibrahim Farinloye, Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), while speaking with newsmen at the scene, confirmed that four lifeless bodies have been recovered and moved to a morgue owned by the state government.

It was also gathered that four persons have been rescued and are currently being treated by the medical team of the Lagos State General Hospital.

The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, has also been sighted at the scene.

Officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said they were trying to deploy the military for crowd control as apprehensive sympathizers insisted there are many people trapped inside the building.

“The Agency has activated its emergency response plan to the scene. Search and Rescue operations are ongoing,” LASEMA said in a statement.

“The Hon. Commissioner for Special Duties & Intergovernmental Relations, it’s counterpart, Hon. Comm for Physical Planning and DG LASEMA are fully on ground.

“All first responders are at the scene while the heavy-duty equipment and life detection equipment have been dispatched.”

Ikoyi building that collapsed was sealed by Governor Sanwo-Olu a year ago to “prevent calamity”

The multi-storey building that collapsed today at Musikiu Junction by Gerard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, was sealed by the State government last year to “prevent calamity”.

Unfortunately, it appears the building was later unsealed and construction continued until it collapsed today, November 1, at about 1:30 pm.

In July 2020, it was reported that Sanwo-Olu had sealed the Gerard, Ikoyi high-rise.

At the time, a source was quoted as saying that the State Government took the action to seal the building in order to ensure that what happened with Lekki Gardens Estate when its on-going six-storey building collapsed on March 8, 2016 would not be witnessed again in the state.

The source said: “It is unheard of that the owners of the Ikoyi project in question would embark on such a capital intensive project without obtaining required approvals for a project as massive as that.

“Gone are the days of negligence on the part of the government when people flout the law. Sealing up the project is law taking its due course.

“The owners of this project have shown themselves to be defiant and obstinate, in that the state ministry of Land and Physical Planning had been calling on them to without paying attention to what the ministry had been calling their attention to.

“It does not benefit the state to stop economically viable projects like the project on Gerrard Road in Ikoyi, but the responsibility falls on the government that all rules and regulations guiding such buildings are strictly adhered to.

“What the government has done is to halt further construction with a view to assessing and evaluating the extent to which the builders had adhered to the building code. The state will take it up from there.

“The government will not fold its arm and watch people behave recklessly without order and accountability. We are talking about people’s lives here. The state will no longer tolerate such attitude from anybody no matter how highly placed they may be.”