A two-story building still under construction collapsed at 20 Ozuitem Street in Umuahia, the capital of Abia State.
The building, which was reportedly owned by a “very wealthy” Umuahia resident, collapsed on Christmas Day, when workers there had taken the day off.
The cause of the collapse has not yet been officially established, but some residents living near the building claimed that the contractor may have used substandard materials, which they say compromised the integrity of the structure.
A resident who requested anonymity thanked God for saving the lives of the site workers and said: “Yesterday was Christmas Day and there was no work. If not, who knows what would have happened?”
He said the contractor had gone into hiding after realizing what happened to avoid being arrested or questioned.
When Newslodge visited the site on Thursday afternoon, an excavator was demolishing the remaining parts of the building to ensure that they do not collapse on the adjacent houses.
Messages boldly pasted on the site by the Umuahia Capital Development Authority, UCDA, dated December 26, 2024, declared that the site had been sealed.
When Newslodge contacted the Public Relations Officer of the Umuahia Capital Development Authority, Mrs Nkeiru Ogba, she confirmed that her office had visited the site of the collapsed building to ascertain what had happened.
He said the owners of some of the buildings that collapsed in the state did not follow due process or refused to comply with official regulations.