The traditional ruler of Alayabiagba Ancient Town and Apapa Kingdom in Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area, His Royal Highness Dr. Adeshina Ojora,( The Biagba 1), has called on the Lagos State Government to make it mandatory for property owners undertaking demolition of old or distressed buildings to engage certified professionals equipped with the necessary tools and machinery, rather than relying on untrained manual labourers.
The monarch made this appeal following a tragic incident in his domain where an old storey building, marked for demolition, collapsed during a manual demolition exercise, resulting in the death of two persons and leaving eight others critically injured.
According to eyewitness accounts confirmed by the Bale, the unfortunate event occurred when the building owners hired unskilled labourers, popularly referred to as “Aboki,” to manually bring down the structure. During the process, one of the labourers reportedly struck a key beam supporting the building, causing the structure to collapse while others were still working inside.
“The building in question is over 40 years old and was constructed with outdated materials, which made it structurally weak,” HRH Ojora explained. “When the government’s demolition notice came, it was justified. However, such an exercise should have been carried out by a professional agency with the proper equipment and safety protocols.”
The monarch further warned that several other buildings in the community have been marked for demolition, emphasizing the need for caution to prevent further loss of lives.
He disclosed that the government had already taken possession of two other marked structures , one located at 71 Alayabiagba Street and another near the community mosque , due to the owners’ failure to comply with safety and demolition directives.
“Other aging buildings, including those at 46 Bale Alayabiagba Road such as the popular ‘Ile Iya Ijebu’ and Alhaji Oloro’s house, have also been slated for demolition,” he added.
Chairman of Alayabiagba Community Development Association and Secretary of the Ajeromi-Ifelodun Development Committee, Alhaji Abubakar Musa Afolabi, clarifies that the collapsed building was already marked for demolition and had been duly approved by the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LABSCA).
According to Afolabi, although the building was structurally distressed, the owner had earlier directed all occupants to vacate the premises to allow for reconstruction after securing the necessary demolition permit. “There was no resident in the building at the time of the mishap,” he stated.
He explained that the demolition exercise was contracted to an individual who, in turn, engaged casual labourers to carry out the work. “The workers had been on site for three days before the unfortunate incident occurred,” Afolabi said.
He added that prompt response from rescuers led to the recovery of eight labourers alive, while one died instantly and another passed away at the hospital.
HRH Ojora however urged residents and property owners to prioritize safety and professionalism in demolition and construction activities, noting that lives lost to negligence are avoidable tragedies.
