Abia State government has arrested the site engineer in charge of the uncompleted collapsed three-story building in Umuahia, the state capital.

The Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, announced that the suspect was assisting in the investigation to uncover the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Kanu, who addressed journalists yesterday on deliberations during the state’s weekly executive council meeting, on Monday, did not disclose the engineer’s name.

He did, however, mention that the premises of the collapsed building, which also houses two other uncompleted three-storey buildings, had been sealed off and the occupants evacuated.

Meanwhile, the General Manager of Umuahia Capital Development Authority (UCDA), Kingsley Agomoh, reiterated government’s commitment to subjecting the collapsed building and others to integrity test.

He also revealed that the result of the investigation would be made public and legal action taken against the culprit(s).

To prevent similar incidents, Agomoh announced that all existing buildings and future ones, from two-storeys and above, will now undergo integrity test.

Officials of the Nigeria Institute of Building (NIOB) have inspected the site of the collapsed building.

The chairman of Practical Committee Council of Registered Builders, Wisdom Okoro, attributed the collapse to poor management of building production processes, lack of quality materials, and inadequate knowledge of the theoretical practice of building construction.

The Registrar of NIOB, John Ugwoeri, and the state Chairman, Mr Chinedu Nwanosike, pointed out the unimplementation of the seven building code components as the cause of the building collapse.

They commended the state government’s decision to investigate the incident and apply the findings as a deterrent to potential culprits.