A former school building that had been converted into a residential structure in Ketu, Lagos, partially collapsed on Sunday leaving at Least one person injured.

One resident has been injured in a two-storey and four–storey building which collapsed in Lagos yesterday.

The buildings are located at 47 and 49 Oduntan Street in Ketu, Kosofe local government area of the state.

According to report, Over 500 occupants were in the buildings formally used as a school when they partially collapsed as a result of heavy rain on Saturday.

Rescuers attributed the collapse of the buildings to ageing and poor maintenance on the part of the owner.

Residents of the building were asked to vacate the building under the supervision of the combined team of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), and Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC), to avert further secondary incident.

The Guardian reported that last the building will be pulled down as it has failed structural integrity test, hence posing a threat to the public and adjoining buildings.
Confirming the incident, general manager of LASBCA, Gbolahan Oki, said the agency
will move in swiftly to remove all distressed structures within the Agboye Compound, Ketu.

He said LASBCA had taken a proactive action of serving quit notice before parts of the building caved in during the rains of Saturday; and also evacuated over 500 residents to save them from the imminent collapse.

Oki said despite several notices served by the Agency, some of the residents refused to vacate the buildings, which were exhibiting different signs of distress.

He added that the structural integrity of about eight buildings within the compound could not be guaranteed as several parts of the buildings had started giving way.

The report detailed the appalling living conditions of Agboye Estate tenants, who had to cope with snakes, scorpions, and other hazardous creatures due to stagnant sewage water at the rear of the building.

In most of the blocks constructed only inches away from each other, at least 12 rooms shared a single toilet and bathroom.

On average, two persons occupy each room, bringing the number of users of a single toilet to 24.

In addition, the tenants were prohibited from using power generators, electric kettles, air conditioners, or even holding significant social events such as naming ceremonies or birthdays within the premises by the landlord, Onamo Agboye.

The only entrance leading in and out of the compound closes at 11:00 p.m. daily nobody goes in or out once the clock ticks.

According to him, the buildings must be pulled down to prevent casualties and protect the built environment, warning that more stringent measures await those ignoring notices, and directives of the agency.