LAGOS BUILDING COLLAPSE: ‘I ALMOST ATE THERE’, MAN RECOUNTS NARROW ESCAPE. (PHOTO).

 Lagos building collapse: ‘I almost ate there’, man recounts narrow escape

A Lagos resident has explained how he avoided being trapped in a two-storey building that collapsed on Oremeta Street in the Ojodu Berger area of Lagos State.

The building, which housed a local restaurant, was reported to have collapsed at approximately 8 am on Saturday.

It was gathered that the incident occurred minutes after some of the workers arrived.

Although the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency said five people had been rescued as of the time of filing the report, residents in the area feared that many others could be trapped under the rubble.

However, the resident, who identified himself as Chike, told our correspondent that he was lucky to have escaped after he shelved his plan to have breakfast at the restaurant.

“I live in Ojodu; this (the restaurant) is the place I usually go to eat. Last night, I wanted to go there to eat, but I didn’t feel comfortable about going, so I decided to buy some things to cook at home.

“That (cooking at home) also made me not go to the restaurant this morning. This morning, I was preparing to go to Berger to pick something when I heard that something happened at EqualRight, and by the time I got there, I realised that a lot of people had been injured,” he said.

Chike also expressed concern that many people could be trapped underneath the building, as the restaurant was popular in the area.

“In a day, they get up to 100 customers. Sometimes, when a football match is on, you can find up to 70 people gathered there. We feel bad about this incident.

“As I speak with you, some people are in the building. We have yet to confirm whether they are alive, but we pray they are alive, by the Grace of God.

“The building was old, but I don’t know whether they were trying to build another structure there,” he added.

Emergency responders struggled to control the crowd of onlookers.

Some angry youths refused to vacate the scene, against the instruction of some police officers on the ground, as two bulldozers struggled to make their way into the premises.

Efforts to reach the Lagos State Police Command were unsuccessful, as the Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, could not be reached for comments.