A one-storey building with eight shops located at Ikenga Ogidi, along the Onitsha-Awka-Enugu Expressway, near the Building Materials International Market, Ogidi, has collapsed, following persistent rainfall that began on Saturday.
It was gathered that the structure which caved in on Saturday night during the rains, destroyed goods and properties worth several millions of naira.
When our correspondent visited the scene on Monday, it was observed that the commercial building, had become rubbles with large parts of the debris already washed away by floods.
Although there were no deaths recorded, it was gathered that traders and business owners in the premises had already closed for the day before the building collapsed.
A resident living near the building said the building housed about eight shops used for building materials before it suddenly collapsed.
According to eyewitnesses in the area, the building caved in due to heavy erosion, which also pulled down several fences in the neighbourhood.
One of the eyewitnesses in the area said, “Prior to the collapse, it was already slanted to one direction due to persistent rainfall and heavy erosion that passes near it.
“There is an underground drainage that crosses from the right side of Onitsha-Awka-Enugu Expressway to the left side, this collapsed building was erected at the point the underground water channel from both sides of the road terminates, and at the point the building was erected which is a right-of-way and a water stoppage point, there is no way water can pass freely.
“We knew the collapse was very imminent, with the Saturday night heaving rain and the flood it came with, the property collapsed because it could not withstand the volume of the water coming from both sides of the expressway and the one coming from the blocked water drainage on which the collapsed building was erected.”
The residents, therefore, called on the Anambra State government and the Controller of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Awka to stop further construction of buildings in the area as they pose danger to residents and traders occupying them.
Another resident said, “Some government officials had visited the place today to examine the premises so that it will not cause further danger and to ensure other structures near it are not posing any danger. A thorough investigation should be conducted to ascertain the cause of the collapse.”
One of the government officials at the scene, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorised to speak officially, said investigations had commenced to determine the cause of the collapse and whether proper approvals and building standards were followed.
“As you can see, it is now slanting towards different directions and posing danger. Preliminary reports gathered indicated multiple damages.
“Authorities would move swiftly to establish how the structure failed and whether regulatory procedures were ignored or not. And also whether the building has approval.
“From the report we got, the building caved-in during the rains on Saturday night. The state has been experiencing persistent rainfall for some days now, and we urge residents to be mindful of their safety.”
When contacted on Monday, the spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, could not be reached for further confirmation as his telephone indicated not reachable.
