Students at Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (AE-FUNAI) in Ebonyi State, have recounted a harrowing experience when a private student hostel, Pentagon Lodge, located in Izzangbo Ohankwu Village, partially collapsed last Friday.

The building, situated near the university, collapsed after a bout of continuous rainfall.

Despite the extensive damage, no injuries or fatalities were reported, thanks to the quick actions of the students.

An eyewitness, Chisom Nwankwo, a 200-level student at Enugu State University of Technology (ESUT), described the collapse as moment of terror, noting that there were warning signs.

Nwankwo said:” My brother, a final-year student was taking a bath when he heard an unusual noise outside his room.

“Initially, he dismissed it as typical disturbances associated with cult activities. When the noise persisted, he investigated and discovered the walls of the building were cracking severely. Without hesitation, he jumped from the balcony to escape the imminent collapse. While he was unharmed, he lost all his possessions, including his television, generator, bed stand, gas cylinder, and academic documents.”

Another student, Chimamanda Ojiego, said: “I found the tiles in my room swelling, and my door became jammed. Distinct cracking sounds echoed from outside. Someone frantically ran upstairs, shouting that the building was about to collapse, prompting a swift evacuation.

“Once outside, I saw the building’s pillars breaking, the entire structure shattering, and the foundation failing. Windows shattered, and the ground floor sank, causing the building to divide and reduce in height.

“My belongings were buried beneath the rubble.”

Faith Ozoezi, who was not at school when the collapse occurred, received a call from her room-mate about the building’s instability.

“An alarm was raised, and students evacuated promptly,” she said.

Ozoezi, a 100-level sociology student, expressed relief that no lives were lost.

The heavy downpour on Thursday night before the collapse suggested that the saturated ground weakened the building’s foundation.

Meanwhile, the aftermath of the collapse has been distressing for the students, who urged the authorities to make the investigation’s result public and not overlook the incident to prevent future occurrences that could jeopardise students’ lives.