Williams Kayode
A dark cloud once again hovers over Lagos as tragedy struck in the early hours of Monday when a two-storey building collapsed at 54 Cole Street, near Cemetery Bus Stop in the bustling Oyingbo area, trapping several residents in the rubble.
The building, which had long been marked as distressed by safety officials, finally gave way around 12:20 a.m., catching its sleeping occupants completely unawares. Panic swept through the narrow streets of Oyingbo as residents screamed for help amid dust, debris, and confusion.
Confirming the incident, the Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, revealed that the Sari-Iganmu Fire Station swiftly mobilised to the scene after receiving a distress call shortly after midnight. She explained that it was an ongoing rescue involving a two-storey building which had been marked in distress before collapsing on the occupants. Firefighters, paramedics, and emergency responders, she said, were working through the night to save lives.
By dawn, fifteen victims, including seven men, four women, and four children, had been pulled out of the debris alive but with varying degrees of injuries. They were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta, and the General Hospital, Odan, for emergency treatment. However, as rescue operations intensified, fears grew that more victims could still be buried under the wreckage.
Sadly, Monday’s tragedy adds to the long list of building collapses that have plagued Lagos — Nigeria’s commercial capital and one of the world’s fastest-growing megacities. Despite repeated government warnings, poor compliance with safety standards, the use of sub-standard materials, and weak regulatory enforcement continue to claim lives and property.
Data from the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG) shows that over 679 buildings have collapsed across Nigeria since 1974, resulting in more than 1,639 deaths, with Lagos topping the grim chart. One of the most devastating cases was the Ikoyi high-rise collapse of November 2021, where at least 42 people died after a luxury apartment block under construction crumbled due to structural irregularities and unapproved modifications. More recently, in September 2025, a four-storey building under construction in Yaba also collapsed, killing several workers and leaving others trapped.
As emergency workers combed through the ruins at Oyingbo, distraught relatives and neighbours stood helplessly behind safety barriers — many praying, others sobbing. One resident, who identified himself simply as Azeez, told reporters that the warning signs had been there for months. “We had been complaining about cracks and shaking walls. The authorities marked it but nothing was done. Now see what has happened,” he lamented.
Officials from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) have since cordoned off the area, as engineers assess the structural integrity of nearby buildings to prevent secondary collapses. The Lagos State government has consistently vowed to clamp down on unsafe buildings, but experts say stronger enforcement and stiffer penalties for negligent developers remain key to ending the recurring disasters.
As rescue efforts continue, the scene at Cole Street remains tense — the sound of shovels and heavy machinery mixing with cries of anguish and whispered prayers. For Lagos, it is yet another grim reminder that urban growth without regulation can be deadly.