Dare Babalola
A businessman, Andrew Isesere, has been killed by a building collapse in the Idumoza community of Uromi, located in Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State.
According to Punch, the building collapsed on Friday as over 20 workers at the site narrowly escaped death.
Isesere, who was reportedly inside the building at the time, was trapped beneath the rubble. His body was recovered by emergency responders on Sunday morning.
According to eyewitnesses who spoke to Punch, the scene was chaotic, leaving several people with sustaine varying degrees of injuries.
Preliminary accounts from neighbours and community members suggest that the collapse may have been caused by the use of inferior building materials and lack of professional oversight.
A local resident, Mr Andrew Inegbebor, claimed that the late owner personally managed the construction without engaging qualified engineers.
“He was advised several times about the quality of materials being used. Instead of 16mm rods, he used 12mm. The pillars didn’t even have base baskets. The whole structure was weak,” the resident claimed
The collapse, according to onlookers, was sudden and devastating. Many expressed sadness that Isesere, who had been warned about the structural concerns, died in the very building he oversaw.
Efforts to reach the Edo State Police Command for an official statement were unsuccessful as the Police Public Relations Officer, Moses Yamu, said he had not yet been briefed on the matter.
