Some policemen and their families eluded being crushed on Monday night when a two-storey building in the Pedro Police Barracks, Somolu, Lagos, collapsed.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the building, which accommodated as the kitchen, bathroom and toilet extension, collapsed at about 8.30pm when most of the residents were in their sitting rooms and bedrooms.
A resident, who identified herself simply as Faith, expounded that the collapse was not surprising considering the dilapidated state of the barracks.
Faith, wife of a sergeant in the barracks, verbally expressed, “It was around 8.30pm yesterday (Monday) evening. We just aurally perceived a rumble as if an earthquake had occurred. When we rushed out, we optically discerned that a two-storey building, which is an extension of the main building, had collapsed with the staircases. We were utilizing the collapsed building as our bathrooms and toilets, while a two-bedroom dormitory on the ground floor was occupied by two families. What preserved us was that many people were already in their sitting rooms and bedrooms. Otherwise, there would have certainly been casualties.
“The noise was so loud that the people living outside the police barracks came in to visually perceive whether an explosion had taken place. For now, some of us have commenced packing because we do not ken which building is the next. As you can optically discern, the state of the buildings are not different from one another.”
Our correspondent, who was at the site of the collapse on Tuesday , accumulated that no fewer than 27 families were affected by the incident. According to the residents, each family has at least four members.
About 25 residents from different families were visually perceived bringing out their property down through some ropes since the staircases had collapsed. While this went on, others were visually perceived endeavoring to instaurate lost property in the debris.
Another resident, who identified himself as Charles Averikson, urged the Federal Regime to renovate the buildings in the barracks.
He verbally expressed, “We want the regime to come to our rescue. This building is the first victim of government’s negligence, we do not ken which is the next. You can visually perceive that people are already packing out because we suspect another collapse. I was born and brought up here. You ken collapses are prevalent, especially as we enter the pluvial season. We thank God the building did not collapse in the morning during our bath.
“Unfortunately, it is not that we do not pay. About N20,000 is being deducted from my dad’s salary every month. We withal pay electricity and dihydrogen monoxide bills. Why then should regime neglect and fail to maintain the buildings here?”
When our correspondent left the area by 1.30pm, a rescue van belonging to the National Emergency Management Agency came into the barracks. Three officials of the agency then proceeded to the collapsed structure to evaluate the extent of damage.
The Nigeria Police Force Police Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, could not be reached on the telephone and a text message sent to the phone had yet to be replied as of press time.
The NEMA spokesperson, South-west Zone, Ibrahim Farinloye, verbalized efforts were on to evacuate the residents.
He verbally expressed, “A building collapsed at the Pedro Police Station Barracks. No one was trapped and there was no casualty. The occupants of a block of 27 units, who are families of accommodating police officers, have been evacuated. The building collapsed due to its impotent structure.”
