Owner of fallen Nigeria high-rise arrested
LAGOS, Nigeria — Authorities in Nigeria have arrested the owner of a high-rise apartment building in the country’s largest city after the structure suddenly collapsed, killing at least 14 people and leaving dozens missing beneath the rubble.
Nine people have been pulled out alive, an official said Tuesday, but relatives were angry at what they called the slow pace of the rescue effort that began hours after Monday’s collapse.
Meanwhile, officials said the property’s developers had added six more floors than what was approved under their building permit in Lagos, fueling speculation that the additional weight could have contributed to the collapse. The government-run News Agency of Nigeria reported that the building’s owner had been arrested on undisclosed charges.
“I am on the ground here and the materials he used are so inferior and terrible,” Gbolahan Oki, general manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, told the News Agency of Nigeria. “He got approval for 15 floors but built 21.”
Hours later, the Lagos state governor announced that Oki had been suspended indefinitely.
Co-workers say they believe dozens of people remain trapped in the debris, Lagos commissioner for information Gbenga Omotoso said.
“More equipment and personnel have been deployed in the site to save more lives,” he said.