By Ebenezer Mabinuola
What began as an ordinary Sunday afternoon in the bustling Idi-Araba community of Mushin, Lagos, ended in chaos and heartbreak when a one-storey building under construction suddenly collapsed—leaving one person dead, several others injured, and a city once again grappling with the consequences of lax building regulations.
The ill-fated structure, located at 96 Ishaga Road, opposite the Idi-Araba Central Mosque, came crashing down around 3 p.m. on May 18, trapping at least five individuals beneath its rubble.
Emergency teams from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Services responded swiftly, arriving within minutes of receiving distress calls.
Despite their efforts, one male victim was pulled out lifeless. Three others were rescued alive, including a critically injured man, for whom family members were reportedly asked to pay ₦1.5 million for emergency surgery. A fourth survivor was treated for shock and later discharged.
Among the survivors, a bricklayer who narrowly escaped death. “I was sleeping upstairs when I heard a cracking sound,” he recounted. “I jumped out, confused, but people held me down. The building just gave way.” He was hospitalized briefly and returned the following day, shaken but grateful.
A pregnant woman was also rescued with minor injuries, thanks to the quick action of her husband who cleared falling debris from their roof moments after the collapse began.
The building was originally a family house undergoing reconstruction. Locals claimed it had changed hands after the initial developer fell ill, with a second contractor taking over the project. Some residents claimed engineers had previously warned that the structure was visibly leaning—a red flag that went ignored until disaster struck.
Tragically, phones belonging to victims were allegedly stolen during the rescue operations, further compounding the grief of the affected families.
This incident is not isolated. In fact, Lagos State has become a recurring site of building collapses, with over 100 incidents recorded since 2005. In 2022 alone, the state accounted for nearly one-third of Nigeria’s building collapse cases, according to the Building Collapse Prevention Guild.
The common culprits? Substandard materials, greedy developers, and weak regulatory enforcement.
Many times, in a bid to make quick money, developers cut corners, use poor materials, and ignore safety. This is where government must step in and enforce strict standards.
The Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) has since sealed off the site. Heavy machinery has been deployed to clear debris and ensure no further hazards. However, officials have not yet disclosed the cause of the collapse, stating that investigations are ongoing.
Ibrahim Farinloye, NEMA’s Lagos coordinator, confirmed the fatality and called for better construction monitoring. “This didn’t have to happen,” he said.
People have called for a permanent on-site government presence at major construction projects. With officials monitoring projects to avoid lives are being lost.
The Idi-Araba collapse is the latest reminder of the human cost of oversight failures. From Ikoyi’s 21-storey tragedy in 2021 to Sunday’s disaster, the warnings have been loud and clear.
As Lagos continues to rise vertically, the question remains: How many more lives must be lost before accountability is taken seriously?
