The Anambra State Government has constituted an investigative panel to determine the cause of the collapse of a three-storey building in Amokpala, Orumba North Local Government Area, vowing to prosecute anyone found responsible for the tragedy.
The building, which served as an off-campus hostel for students of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, collapsed on Sunday, leaving two people dead and three others injured.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Chijioke Ojukwu, said the panel comprises representatives of professional bodies in the building and construction sector and has been mandated to establish the root cause of the collapse.
Ojukwu said the investigation would also cover neighboring buildings, particularly those showing signs of structural weakness, following reports from residents identifying other potentially unsafe structures.
He said the government would prosecute anyone found culpable and recommended that land on which any building collapses in the state should, in future, be revoked.
According to the commissioner, preliminary findings indicate that the building’s management was aware of serious structural defects but failed to evacuate occupants or notify the authorities.
He accused the management of prioritizing financial gain over the safety of tenants by continuing to collect rent despite the warning signs.
Ojukwu said the state government would conduct structural integrity tests on buildings in the area and demolish any found to pose a danger to the public.
He added that security agencies are working to identify and apprehend the owner of the collapsed building.
According to him, tenants dealt only with the building’s management, whose contact details have been handed over to the police after they became unreachable following the incident.
