Lagos School Building Collapse Averted After Early Safety Evacuation
Korede Abdullah 
LAGOS, Nigeria – The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) says an early warning and swift evacuation prevented casualties after a four-storey school building collapsed in the Ogba area of Lagos.
The building, which houses Yemco Nursery, Primary and Comprehensive College, collapsed on Monday afternoon at 11 Adudatu Street behind County Hospital in the Aguda axis of Ogba.
LASEMA Permanent Secretary Oluwafemi Oke-Osanyintolu says emergency monitoring and safety assessments by the agency allowed authorities to evacuate students, teachers and workers minutes before the structure gave way.
“I am bold to tell Lagosians that the case was not a disaster but an emergency. We carried out clear monitoring and evaluation; that is why there’s no casualty in the collapse,” Oke-Osanyintolu said while addressing reporters at the scene on Tuesday.
He urges residents to avoid panic triggered by misinformation circulating online.
“We have put a lot of machinery in place to ensure the safety of lives and property. We are appealing to Lagosians to stop listening to people on social media trying to create panic,” he adds.
However, a maintenance worker at the school, Taiwo Omisore, expresses surprise at the collapse, saying the building had stood firm for years.
“I am their aluminium constructor and have worked with them for 25 years. The building was a strong structure which I never expected to collapse. I can say the collapse is not natural,” he says.
Omisore notes that only staircase repair works were ongoing at the time of the incident.
Authorities say the building owner, Adetayo Adeyinka, is cooperating with investigators as structural experts begin technical assessments to determine the cause of the collapse.
The incident marks the second school building collapse in Lagos this year, intensifying scrutiny of structural safety and regulatory compliance in school facilities across the state.
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Chukwu Obinna 
Oluwafunbi Bello 
