ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- A 44-room building in the Agric Quarters of Mgbemena, Coal Camp, Enugu North local government area, has collapsed, resulting in the loss of four young siblings.
Uche Anya, Chairman of the Enugu Capital Territory Development Agency (ECTDA), personally inspected the site of the catastrophe.
He disclosed that although the building had originally been approved for animal husbandry purposes, it had been unlawfully converted into a residential space.
Furthermore, he emphasized that the collapsed structure posed significant risks to human habitation and welfare.
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This unfortunate incident serves as a distinct reminder of the importance of adhering to safety regulations and building standards to prevent such heart-wrenching tragedies.
“As soon as we got the intelligence, we rushed to the place. Four children died in the episode.
“It was danger waiting to happen. The construction was irresponsible. The place should never have been occupied by human being. In fact, go there and see.
“Apparently, they claim that they are doing animal husbandry and poultry there but it turned out that there are 44 rooms that human beings are occupying and there must have a population of over 200 people there.
“The fence line was totally unacceptable, nobody does that, and unfortunately, the people we lost in that tragedy are innocent children and it is very painful”, Anya added.
The ECTDA chairman also said that the agency would continue to sensitise the public on the need to live a more conducive environment to avoid future occurrence of the unfortunate incident.
According to him, the Compliance unit of the agency under his leadership would ensure that structures erected by landlords and contractors adhere strictly to the approval plan.