…set to resettle residents of the area.
Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, has ordered the immediate identification and arrest of the landlord of a two-storey building that collapsed in Abuja.
The building, a plaza located at Lagos Crescent in Garki Village within the Garki District of Abuja, collapsed amid a heavy downpour on Wednesday night.
There are conflicting reports of the number of survivors in the incident. While the director-general of FCT Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, Dr Abbas Idriss said 37 persons have so far been rescued at the scene and taken to various hospitals in the city, the FCT Police Command put the survivors at 20. Two lives were lost.
“Thirty-seven persons have so far been rescued and evacuated to hospital, others reportedly still trapped. Rescue team and others are on the ground,” Idriss said in the early hours of Thursday.
“So far, 20 persons have been rescued from the scene while two others unfortunately lost their lives,” Josephine Adeh, spokesperson of the Lagos Police Command said in a statement on Thursday morning.
Later on Thursday, Wike visited the site to assess the situation and to extend condolences to the affected families.
“It is unfortunate that we woke this morning to the very disturbing news of this building collapse. It is not what we contemplated,” the Minister said. “Let me thank the agencies, particularly NEMA and FEMA, that have supported us to rescue not less than 37 lives. It is unfortunate that we lost two lives.”
Sympathising with the families of the casualties, Wike said the federal government would settle the bills of those undergoing medical treatment and that rescue efforts would be supported.
He said: “I sympathize with those who lost dear lives, while the government will pick up the bills of all those in the hospital. I will appeal to the Permanent Secretary to make sure that funds are raised to pay the hospital bills of those who were rescued so that we do not lose any more people, and this should be done immediately.
“We will also support the rescue efforts and ensure that they get to the last level and rescue everyone still trapped in the rubble.”
Wike wondered why the residents of the area have not been resettled for years despite being designated for resettlement. He assured that the residents would be resettled and urged everyone concerned to support the “immediate action.”
“I don’t know why it has taken long that the FCTA has not resettled them and so we will take immediate action to see that the indigenes of these places are resettled and then the government has to plan out this place,” Wike said.
“Government will, of course, take over this area and make sure no further development is carried out here. I want all the stakeholders here to please work with the government in the interest of everybody. Cities are planned to forestall this kind of occurrence. Imagine buildings without approval.”
He added: “I will ask that we must identify and arrest the owner of this property. It is very important.”
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