The Anambra State Government has set up a high-powered investigation panel to determine the cause of the collapse of a private student hostel near the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, as the death toll stands at two with fears that more victims may still be trapped beneath the rubble.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Chijioke Ojukwu, announced the decision during an interview.
Mr Ojukwu said the panel comprises presidents and secretaries of professional bodies in the building industry, including engineers, architects, builders, town planners, officials of the Ministry of Physical Planning and representatives of the Anambra State Materials Testing Laboratory.
He said the panel’s mandate is to establish the exact cause of the collapse and prevent speculation.
“The core of their mandate will be to investigate the root cause of the collapse of the building so we wouldn’t be speculating,” he said.
The commissioner said the investigation would also be expanded to inspect nearby buildings after residents alerted authorities to other structures suspected to have similar structural defects.
“We will extend the scope of the investigation to other buildings within the proximity of the collapsed structure, including those we have received intelligence about,” he added.
Mr Ojukwu warned that anyone found responsible for the tragedy would face prosecution, while the government would recommend revoking ownership of land where buildings collapse due to negligence.
“We will also be prosecuting anybody indicted as having taken part in this unfortunate incident. We will equally recommend that the state revokes, henceforth, any land housing a building that collapses within the state,” he said.
He alleged that preliminary findings suggested the hostel management was aware of structural defects before the building gave way but failed to evacuate residents.
“The building had some structural defects to the knowledge of the management, but unfortunately the management placed pecuniary interest above the safety of the occupants,” Mr Ojukwu said.
According to him, the appropriate action would have been to evacuate the building and notify authorities for demolition instead of continuing to accommodate tenants and collect rent.
The commissioner said the government would conduct comprehensive structural integrity tests on buildings around the area, warning that any unsafe structures would be demolished.
He confirmed that two bodies had been recovered from the debris, while rescue officials were still trying to account for all occupants amid fears that more people could be trapped.
Authorities have yet to identify the owner of the building, as occupants told investigators they dealt only with the hostel management.
Mr Ojukwu said attempts to contact the management since the collapse had failed, prompting the government to hand their details to the police.
“We have forwarded details of their contacts to the police authorities,” he said, adding that security agencies were working to track down those responsible.
The collapsed building, identified as Elite Five Star Lodge, caved in late on Sunday near Tonimas Filling Station in the Oko Polytechnic community, sparking panic among students and residents as cries for help were heard beneath the rubble.
Emergency responders, including the Anambra State Police Command, Anambra State Fire Service, Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and other security agencies, have continued rescue operations at the scene.
