Collapsed Ikoyi Building: Death Toll Hits 42,  Number of  Survivors Now 15

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Saturday disclosed that six additional persons had been rescued from the rubble of a 21-storey building that collapsed in Ikoyi last Monday, bringing the number of survivors to 15.

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Sanwo-Olu, however, put the number of bodies recovered so far from the rubble of the 21-storey collapsed building at 42, disclosing that 49 families had filled the missing persons’ register.

He gave these updates on Saturday when he again visited the site of the collapsed building alongside the National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule, among others.

Meanwhile, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has again warned media houses and online publishers against publications linking him with the 21-storey building that collapsed last week in Ikoyi, Lagos State.

While giving an update on the search and rescue operation at the scene, Sanwo-Olu noted that six additional persons were evacuated alive from the collapsed structure.

With the critical conditions of the survivors, the governor disclosed that they “are currently being treated at the Police Hospital in Falomo, Ikoyi.”

Sanwo-Olu disclosed that 42 bodies had been recovered from the site as at Saturday night, giving a clearer manifest of the number of people that were possibly at the construction site before the building caved in last Monday.

Already, the governor said: “There are additional six people that we have also been able to identify and who were on site when the building collapsed. They were taken to the Police Hospital in Falomo for treatment and some of them have been discharged.

“We have taken the full records of survivors in the incident. This gives a total of 15 people rescued alive. We have a total of 42 bodies that have been recovered,” the governor explained.

He identified the latest survivors to include a 38-year-old woman, Glory Samsom, Ndajor Ahmed, Yunusa Abubaka, Ajiboye Habib, Jeremiah Samson, and one man identified as Emem.

While most of them sustained varying degrees of injury, according to the governor, Samson, 20, is said to be in a coma.

Sanwo-Olu, also, said 49 families had filled the missing persons’ register as at Saturday morning, saying the register had helped the state government to reconcile the details of victims rescued alive and also medically account for bodies recovered.

The governor said identification of bodies by relatives had commenced, adding that DNA examination was being undertaken on some of the bodies difficult to be identified by their families.

Sanwo-Olu said: “There is a sum of money that has been reserved by the state government for succour and to give for befitting burial for those who died in the incident.

“Families that wish to accept it are being supported for the burial arrangement. Also, survivors in hospitals have been given the financial support to help them settle and cope with challenges of feeding in the aftermath of the incident.”

Tinubu, on Saturday, visited the site of the collapsed building in the company of Sanwo-Olu and his Nasarawa counterpart, Sule, among others.

Tinubu and Sule sympathised with families who lost their relatives and state government over the unfortunate tragedy.

The building collapsed on Monday with many artisans and others trapped in the rubble. Currently, 42 bodies have been recovered, 49 families filled the missing persons’ registers while 15 rescued alive.

The state government had said families of the victims would go to the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba to identify the corpses recovered from the rubble.

Meanwhile, Vice President Osinbajo has again warned media houses and online publishers against publications linking him with the 21-storey building that collapsed last week in Ikoyi, Lagos State.

A statement entitled: ‘Libelous Publications of and Concerning His Excellency, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on Collapsed Ikoyi Building’, issued by his lawyer, Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), stated that the warning became necessary to explain the legal consequences of fabricating falsehood and unsubstantiated negative reports concerning the vice president.

The statement warned that in law, “liability for libellous publications is not limited to the original author or publisher thereof, but it also extends to and includes all those who, out of sheer ignorance, mischief or malice, or all, cause any libellous publication to be repeated, reposted or re-published, either personally or through any platform for which they have control’’.

 The statement read: “We are solicitors to His Excellency, the Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), on whose instruction we write, in respect of the above subject matter.

“We have the mandate of our client to draw your esteemed attention to certain publications of and concerning him, in respect of the 21-storey building that recently collapsed in Ikoyi, Lagos State.

“These publications believed to have been sponsored by faceless individuals and entities to tarnish the good name and reputation of our client, claim most spuriously, that our client is connected with the said building, one way or the other, without any scintilla of proof. For the records, our client is not involved in, associated, or connected with the ownership or development of the collapsed building, in any manner whatsoever.

“This notice has thus become necessary, partly to explain the legal consequences of fabricating falsehood and unsubstantiated negative reports, of and concerning our client. In law, liability for libellous publications is not limited to the original author or publisher thereof, but it also extends to and includes all those who, out of sheer ignorance, mischief or malice, or all, cause any libellous publication to be repeated, reposted or re-published, either personally or through any platform for which they have control.

“Accordingly, we have the instructions of our client to compile and preserve the particulars of anyone found to have published, re-published or endorsed or consented to the publication, distribution or circulation of any libellous material, of and concerning him, to commence civil actions in court, in any jurisdiction where such publication occurs’.

“We, therefore, implore you not to yield your noble platforms for the dissemination of any libellous publication of and concerning our client, henceforth.”

Segun James and Wale Igbintade

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