At least three persons are feared dead after a building under construction caved in along Isi Ewu road, Nbodo Community in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The incident occurred on Saturday evening, when labourers were working at the site of the two-storey building. Alongside the dead were some others who sustained injuries and were rushed to the hospital.
The Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Rivers State Command, Olufemi Ayodele, confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday morning.
Mr Ayodele quoted the state Commandant of the NSCDC, Michael Ogar, who visited the scene, as saying the collapse was due to the use of substandard materials.
Mr Ogar, who was represented by the Head of the Rivers NSCDC Disaster Management Rescue Team, Assistant Commandant James Ngene, said preliminary investigation revealed that the rods, pillars and blocks used in the construction of the building were “far below the required specifications”.
The statement reads, “It is high time Nigerians began to take responsibility for their actions, most especially when life of humans are involved,” he stressed.
“The collapse of the two-storey building … could have actually been avoided if standardised materials and right specifications were used.
“Owners of buildings and landlords are hereby advised to be wary of desperate and quack building contractors who care only about their pockets and not the lives of innocent people.”
