By Sofiat Adenekan-Abdul
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has directed that all victims injured in the collapse of a three-storey building under construction in Abuja receive free medical treatment, as emergency responders continue search-and-rescue operations at the site.
The building, located behind Gudu Market in the nation’s capital, collapsed on Saturday morning during construction activities, raising fresh concerns over building safety standards and regulatory compliance, within the FCT.
The tragedy claimed five lives, while several others sustained varying degrees of injuries. Many of the victims were reported to be construction workers trapped beneath the rubble when the structure gave way.
Concerns Over Construction Safety
The incident has once again drawn attention to recurring cases of building collapse in Nigeria, particularly in rapidly developing urban centres where concerns persist over poor construction practices, inadequate supervision, use of substandard materials, and weak enforcement of building regulations.
The FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD) said the building collapsed at about 8:30 a.m. while work was ongoing at the site.
In a statement, Head of Public Affairs of FEMD, Nkechi Isa, discloses that emergency teams had rescued 16 persons from the rubble, while 11 injured victims were receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre Abuja, Asokoro District Hospital, and Maitama Hospital.
Government Orders Emergency Medical Support
The Mandate Secretary of the FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, announced the minister’s directive during an inspection visit to the scene.
According to her, rescue operations remained ongoing as emergency responders intensified efforts to locate additional victims believed to be trapped under the debris.
In one of the rescue breakthroughs, emergency officials pulled out a survivor alive after he had spent more than nine hours beneath the collapsed structure.
Dr. Fasawe attended to the rescued victim at the scene before he was transferred to hospital for further medical attention.
Multi-Agency Rescue Operation
Several emergency and security agencies participated in the operation, including the National Emergency Management Agency, Federal Fire Service.
Others are Federal Road Safety Corps, the FCT Fire Service, FCT Police Command, Nigerian Army, FCT Emergency Medical Services, and medical personnel from Wuse District Hospital.
As rescue efforts continued, anxious residents and sympathisers gathered around the scene awaiting further developments, while calls intensified for stricter enforcement of building regulations and accountability in the construction sector.
