168 persons displaced as building collapses in Ibadan police barrack
Sango Police Barracks, Ibadan
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), South-West Zone, yesterday, said 168 persons were displaced when a block of flats collapsed, on Saturday, in Sango Police Barrack in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
The Guardian learnt that the collapse, involving a two-storey building, occurred at about 6.00 p.m., while rescuers could not achieve anything for fear of causing more havoc.
Giving updates on the incident, the South-West Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Mr Saheed Akiode, said 28 flats were affected, while no casualty was recorded in the incident.
He said: “The NEMA South-West Zonal Office received a distress alert at about 6.00 p.m. on Saturday, April 22, 2023, of a collapsed building at Nigeria Police Barrack block 11, Sango, Ibadan.
“The Zonal Coordinator swiftly activated the Federal and State Fire Services and other response agencies to the scene of the incident.
“No casualty was recorded at the scene, with a total of 28 flats affected. The operation was successful while evacuation activities are still ongoing.”
Meanwhile, NEMA has recommended that integrity tests be conducted on all buildings in the Sango Police Barracks to ascertain the viability and strength of the structures.
Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Williams, who was at the scene of the incident, promised to make a formal statement on the incident.
