60-year old woman, 19 others escape death as one-storey building collapses in Abeokuta

Songs of praise and thanksgiving are yet to stop flowing from the lips of a 60-year-old woman and 19 others who narrowly escaped death as a storey-building collapsed yesterday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. Although property of the residents worth millions of naira were destroyed, no life was lost.
According to the residents, the 50-year old building which was opposite the secretariat of the Abeokuta South Local Government
Council had long indicated signs of weakness and dilapidation before it finally collapsed.
While expressing mixed feelings on the sudden collapse of the building which was also marked for demolition by the state government to pave way for the expansion of Ake Palace Road, one of the residents, who identified himself as Samuel said, “The sudden crack of the building where some of us have been living for years sent signal of impending dangers to us and we started packing our loads. We had barely started to harken to what we described as a warning when the building caved in with a thunderous sound.”
Yet another occupant, Mrs. Risikatu Madojutimi, a petty trader whose shop was also in the collapsed building, said the signs and sounds the building made before it crashed was their saving grace.
“The crack signal was the saving grace for all of us as we started moving out. But we were surprised that it was not quite long that we started moving our belongings before the building finally collapsed.
It was by the grace of God that all of us escaped from the building as we scampered to safety,” she said.
Amuda Olowonyo, who also narrowly escaped being trapped in the collapsed building as she was inside her make-shift attending to some
of her customers also has her own testimonies to share.
“It was a narrow escape for me and my customers minute delay would have been disastrous for us. Although i lost goods worth about
N30,000, but am still thankful to God for sparing my life’’ she said.
While blaming the incessant heavy downpour as the major cause of the sudden collapse of the building, the chairman of Abeokuta South Local Government, Lanre Edun, told newsmen that the government is always at alert and ready to come to the aid of the people in such situations.
In his words, “ When we heard of the incident, the government quickly responded with the invitation of the men of the fire service and other relevant rescue teams. We have also directed occupants of the house to keep away from the structure until when it is completely pulled
down”.the building, the chairman of Abeokuta South Local Government, Lanre Edun, told newsmen that the government is at always at alert and ready to come to the aid of the people in such situations.
In his words, “ When we heard of the incident, the government quickly responded with the invitation of the men of the fire service and other relevant rescue teams. We have also directed occupants of the house to keep away from the structure until when it is completely pulled down.
DailyPost