LASG Mulls Prosecution of Collapsed Building Owner, Developer

The Lagos State Government may prosecute the owner and developer of a three-storey building that collapsed on Massey Street, Ita-Faaji on Thursday to serve as deterrence to others, top government officials yesterday disclosed.

The officials, however, disclosed that the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) would not take any step until the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) and other regulatory agencies submitted their report on the incident.

Speaking in confidence with THISDAY yesterday, they confirmed that the state government would prosecute the owner and developer of the collapsed building, though both of them were currently on the run. One of the officials said the decision to prosecute became imperative after the figure of causalities from the collapsed building site increased to 20 and 45 injured including the pupils who were still on admission at Lagos Island General Hospital. He disclosed that the legal team of the state government was ready, though was still awaiting the State Police Command to submit the case file to the DPP for onward prosecution.

According to the state official, we are expecting the police to submit the file case on the case in order to commence prosecution of both the owner and developer.

Despite the resolve of the state government, THISDAY findings revealed that the police had not arrested the owner and the developer, Mr Giwa, who completed the building in 2010 and was expected to handover the building to the owners after 10 years.

However, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Intelligence Investigation Department (SCIID), Mrs. Yetunde Longe confirmed that the police had commenced an investigation into the collapsed building.

During her visit to the scene, Longe hinted that her presence was to gathered first-hand information from the residents about the circumstances that led to the incident.

She said the owner of the collapsed building “is on the run while the developer has yet to be identified.”

In a bid to prevent a recurrence of the sad incident, however, the state government has commenced the demolition of other distressed structures in the area that had failed integrity test. Officials of the State Building Control Agency, led by its acting General Manager, Omotayo Fakolujo, commenced demolition after Governor Akinwunmi Ambode ordered the demolition of over 80 buildings earlier marked to be pulled down.

Fakolujo said that the 80 were among 150 distressed buildings that were identified on Lagos Island, but 30 had already been demolished in the last one year, saying, the 80 will be demolished in phases using both manual and mechanical.

He, also, disclosed that 20 of the 80 buildings earmarked for demolition were on Adeniji Adele, saying that the agency would no longer look back but ensure that distressed buildings were pulled down immediately.

Within two days, Fakolujo said the agency has pulled down no fewer than nine buildings that posed threat to lives and property of residents within the community.

The buildings pulled down in the last three days were: 50 Freeman street, 47 Smith street and 28 and 30 Apatira streets.