The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has confirmed that one person died after a three-storey building collapsed on Thursday in the Alagomeji area of Yaba, Lagos State.
According to eyewitnesses, the incident occurred in the early hours of the morning, sending residents and passersby into panic as emergency responders rushed to the scene. The building, reportedly under renovation at the time of the collapse, crumbled suddenly, trapping individuals inside.
NEMA’s Lagos Territorial Coordinator, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the casualty in a statement, noting that search and rescue operations were immediately activated in collaboration with the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the Fire Service, and other first responders.
“Unfortunately, one person was recovered dead from the rubble,” Farinloye said. He added that efforts were ongoing to ensure no other victims remained trapped beneath the debris.
Authorities have since cordoned off the site to prevent further danger and to allow for proper investigation into the cause of the collapse. Preliminary reports suggest possible structural weakness, though officials have not yet released a formal assessment.
Building collapses have remained a recurring tragedy in Lagos, with experts often linking them to poor construction practices, substandard materials, and inadequate regulatory enforcement. The state government has repeatedly pledged stricter monitoring of building sites to curb such incidents.
Residents in the area expressed concern over the frequency of collapses in the city and called on authorities to take more decisive action to hold negligent developers accountable.
