Twenty-two children died when their school collapsed in northern Nigeria on Friday. The collapse happened at the Saints Academy college in Busa Buji, Plateau state, just as students, mostly 15 years old or younger, started their morning classes. Out of 154 students trapped in the collapse, 132 were rescued and treated for injuries in hospitals, according to a police spokesman. Many locals gathered near the school, watching as rescuers searched through the debris. One woman tried to get closer to the rubble but was held back. Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said rescue and health workers, along with Security forces, were sent to search for trapped students.
“To ensure prompt medical attention, the government has instructed hospitals to prioritize treatment without documentation or payment,” said Musa Ashoms, Plateau state’s commissioner for information. The state government blamed the collapse on the school’s weak structure and its location near a riverbank. It urged other schools in similar situations to close. In the past two years, there have been more than a dozen building collapses in Nigeria. Authorities often attribute these incidents to poor enforcement of building safety regulations and inadequate maintenance. “Devastated by the tragic loss of young lives at Saint Academy,” wrote UNICEF Nigeria representative Cristian Munduate on X. “Children, full of dreams, were writing exams when the school building collapsed. Deepest condolences to families affected.”
Building collapse in Lagos in 2019 also resulted in multiple deaths.
In 2019, something like this happened. A multi-story building collapse in Lagos, Nigeria resulted in a significant loss of life and a desperate search for survivors. Initial reports indicated at least ten confirmed fatalities, with fears of many more trapped under the debris. The collapsed structure, located on Lagos Island in the Ita Faji district, housed a school on its uppermost floor. Rescue officials estimated that over 100 students were present at the time of the incident. While approximately 40 students were fortunately rescued alive, the fate of the remaining students remained unknown.
Authorities confirmed that the building had been previously identified as structurally unsound and designated for Demolition by the Lagos State Building Control Agency. This raises serious concerns about the oversight mechanisms in place to ensure the safety of buildings designated for habitation, particularly those housing educational institutions. Following the collapse, a large-scale rescue operation commenced. Emergency personnel and local residents were working tirelessly to locate and extract survivors from the ruins. However, the presence of large crowds of concerned citizens, while understandable, hampered the coordinated efforts of trained professionals.
These building collapse tragedies are not isolated events.
The tragedies in Lagos and Plateau are not isolated events. Building collapses in Nigeria have become a recurrent issue, often attributed to the use of substandard materials and lax enforcement of safety regulations. Similar incidents in recent years include the 2014 collapse of a six-story building during a religious service, claiming 116 lives, and the 2016 collapse of a church roof in Uyo, which resulted in over 100 fatalities. The Lagos Island General Hospital became a central focus for the families of victims. Scenes of frantic hope and crushing disappointment greet each arriving ambulance, as families desperately search for their loved ones. The presence of young victims in school uniforms adds a saddening layer of grief to the already somber atmosphere.
Lagos State Deputy Governor, Idiat Oluranti Adebule, visited the hospital to express condolences to bereaved families. She emphasized the need for calm to facilitate the ongoing rescue and medical efforts. The then President Muhammadu Buhari also extended his condolences, acknowledging the profound loss of innocent lives, particularly young school children. The Lagos building collapse underscores the critical need for stricter regulations and comprehensive inspections to ensure the safety and structural integrity of buildings in Nigeria. A thorough investigation into the cause of the collapse is imperative to prevent similar tragedies in the future. As the search for survivors continues, the focus remains on ensuring the safety of all citizens and holding those responsible accountable for any lapses in safety protocols.
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Another terrible accident occurred in Lagos, Nigeria on November 1, 2021. A high-end apartment building under Construction tragically collapsed, taking at least 42 lives. The developer, Femi Osibona, was also among the deceased. The building was part of a three-tower luxury project called 360 Degrees Towers. Concerns about the construction’s safety had been raised before, leading a consulting firm to pull out. Despite exceeding approved height limits, the building reached 21 stories before disaster struck. Rescue efforts went on, with the NEMA and the military taking charge. As of November 6, 15 people had been pulled alive from the wreckage, while the search for others continued. The incident sparked an investigation into the cause of the collapse, with a focus on ensuring such tragedies are prevented in the future.