Abiodun orders investigation as one dies in Ogun building collapse

By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has ordered a comprehensive technical investigation into the collapse of a two-storey building at Baale Road, Ajuwon, in Ifo Local Government Area, which claimed one life and left several others traumatised. The building collapsed on Monday afternoon following a heavy downpour accompanied by severe thunderstorms, prompting an immediate multi-agency emergency response and renewed concerns over building safety and regulatory compliance in the state. Preliminary findings by a government investigation team indicated that the structure suffered a catastrophic structural failure, causing the lower floors to sink into the ground, while only sections of the upper slab remained visible above the debris.

Eyewitnesses said the incident occurred at about 3:00 p.m., shortly after a torrential rainfall and a reported lightning strike in the area. Two women and their children reportedly escaped after noticing signs of structural distress, while a young man sustained minor injuries while fleeing the building moments before it collapsed. Emergency responders from the Ogun State Safety Office, State Fire Service, Ministries of Environment, Physical Planning and Urban Development, Works and Infrastructure, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Ifo Local Government Water and Environmental Sanitation Department swiftly mobilised to the scene.

Contractors working within the Akute-Alagbole and Agbado axis also deployed heavy equipment to support rescue operations less than 10 minutes after the incident. Although, initial searches did not immediately locate any victims, traces of blood and footprints beneath the rubble prompted a carefully coordinated excavation exercise, leading to the recovery of one deceased victim whose identity had yet to be confirmed at the press time. Experts on the investigation team said the precise cause of the collapse could not be established at the scene, noting that only detailed structural, geotechnical and forensic engineering investigations would determine whether the tragedy resulted from foundation failure, soil instability, construction defects, substandard materials or other underlying factors.

Meanwhile, Governor Abiodun has directed specialists from the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, the Ogun State Building Control Agency, the Building Production Management and…