Ebonyi to prosecute landlord, developers of near collapsed private hostel

Abia State Government has launched an investigation into the collapse of an uncompleted three-storey building located at Road 2 Junction, Low-Cost Housing Estate in Umuahia.

The building reportedly collapsed at about 3:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 26, 2025. Though no lives were lost during the incident, two occupants of a nearby bungalow, including a nursing mother and her baby, were injured and treated in a private hospital.

General Manager of Umuahia Capital Development Authority (UCSD), Kingsley Agomoh, disclosed this while inspecting the collapsed building premises.
He said that the state government would investigate the cause of the collapse and take necessary action, adding that the investigation will include conducting integrity test on the other two three-storey buildings within the premises.

“This is to ascertain the cause of the collapse, after which the appropriate punishment will be meted out to the owner and other culprits in line with the extant law,” he said.

However, it was gathered that work on the building was stopped more than 10 years ago when some defects were noticed, prompting the owner/developer to ‘mark’ it for demolition or necessary amendment.

A security personnel guarding the premises, Babayu Adamu, said that the building had been roofed, and despite signs of defects in the past, no recent ones were noticed before the Saturday collapse.

An occupant of the bungalow near the collapsed building, Ugwumba Shedrack, corroborated that the incident occurred at about 3:00 a.m.on Saturday. He alleged that the building belonged to a top state politician who is not a member of the ruling party in the state.

RELATEDLY, Ebonyi State Government has vowed to prosecute developers or landlords of the collapsed Pentagon Lodge, a private hostel near Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (AE-FUNAI).

The state said it would inaugurate a technical panel today to conduct a government-supervised integrity test and begin investigations into the structural defects.

Seven hundred students living within the area were evaluated and relocated after the two-storey building collapsed on Friday. The state’s Commissioner for Capital City and Urban Development, Sunday Elechi Inyima, who led an inspection team to the site, told journalists that one wing of the hostel showed “alarming signs of structural compromise,” prompting the urgent evacuation order.

“What we saw was very terrible. Though it hasn’t collapsed, one of the wings has suffered a clear case of building failure. We acted immediately to prevent a tragedy,” he said.

Inyima disclosed that students had earlier reported visible cracks in the structure, but their warnings were ignored. He confirmed that the ministry received a whistleblower alert on Friday, July 25, 2025, which prompted an immediate response and assessment.

The evacuation, coordinated in collaboration with the university’s management, the local council chairman, and the Ministries of Housing, Internal Security, and Human Capital Development, was concluded by noon on Saturday, July 26, 2025.

“We cannot wait for a collapse before taking action,” he stressed, revealing that an adjacent block was already tilting. The commissioner said two alternative accommodations had been provided by the university, while other students made private relocation arrangements. No injuries or casualties have been reported.

According to him, a technical panel would be inaugurated today to conduct a government-supervised integrity test and begin investigations into the structural defects. Students’ belongings still inside the affected building will be retrieved under official supervision.

“Meanwhile, representatives of professional regulatory bodies, including COREN, CORBON and TOPREC, have joined for the inspection, while other buildings flagged as unsafe in the area are also under review.

“We are inspecting all the hostels in the vicinity. Any structure found to be unsafe will be sealed, and developers or landlords responsible will be prosecuted,” Inyima vowed.

Governor Francis Nwifuru, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Monday Uzor, at the weekend, noted that the development was disheartening, adding that the evacuation and relocation were necessary to avoid possible casualties.

According to the statement, Nwifuru had ordered a full-scale investigation into the circumstances leading to the failure of the six-block hostel complex, directing the Ministry of Capital City Development to ensure that no building project continues without full regulatory approval.

“It is disheartening to learn about building collapse in this era when we have skilled manpower and well-established professional standards,” the governor lamented.

He attributed the incident to poor construction practices and non-compliance with building regulations, calling on professional bodies, such as the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) and the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB) to intensify oversight to prevent future occurrences.

The governor reaffirmed that the safety of citizens remains a top priority of his administration, urging all stakeholders to uphold professional standards in construction to avoid future disasters.