‘I ran out naked’, victim of Abuja collapsed building speaks

One of the victims of a two-storey building which collapsed in the Kubwa area of Abuja has narrated his experience.

Daily Trust reports that a building located at Plot C31, Sultan Dasuki Road, Kubwa, caved in on Saturday morning.

The last rescued victim identified as a corps member was brought out from the rubble unconsciously by the combined rescued officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), FCT Emergency Management Department (FEM), FCT Fire Service, Federal Road Safety Corps, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, and the Nigeria Police Force.

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The corps member was rushed to the Kubwa General Hospital in an ambulance. It was learnt that two victims, Abdullahi Masud, and his guest, a female, had been taken to the hospital after they escaped from the building before it collapsed.

He was seen by our reporter at the hospital along with the guest at the emergency section of the hospital where they were being attended to.

A security guard attached to the building, Ibrahim Bitrus, had earlier told Daily Trust that about 15 residents were able to escape from the building, before it collapsed.

Also speaking about the incident, Masud said one of his neighbours had earlier drawn his attention to a cracked wall, close to the stair case in the building.

“I later noticed an unfamiliar sound from several parts of the building while I was taking my bath in the morning. I managed to run out naked. I learnt that other people were able to escape too, leaving only one lady stranded at the time. It was while in the hospital that my girlfriend was brought too.”

Another resident who did not disclose her identity said, “I heard a rumbling sound around 7am. I thought it was from my next compound, only for me to rush here and I heard commotion. So I went to the front and saw that the building had collapsed.

“They have been trying to rescue people. FEMA is around. Fire service is also around. They have rescued some people. They are still trying to rescue more people. They are people still trapped inside.”

Acting Director General of FEMD, Mrs. Florence Dawon Wenegieme, who was at the scene of the incident, said the search and rescue effort would continue until responders reached ground zero.

The incident happened after a secondary school collapsed in Jos, Plateau capital, killing at least 22 and leaving over 100 injured.