The Anambra State Government has constituted an investigation panel to determine the cause of the collapse of a private student hostel near the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, which claimed at least two lives and left several occupants unaccounted for, as authorities also launched a manhunt for the facility’s management, who is currently at large.
The hostel, identified as Elite Five Star Lodge near Tonimas Filling Station in the Oko Polytechnic community, collapsed late Sunday night, prompting an immediate response from emergency agencies and raising fresh concerns over compliance with building regulations in the state.
Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Chijioke Ojukwu, disclosed the development on Tuesday, saying the panel comprises engineers, architects, builders, town planners, officials of the ministry and representatives of the state’s Materials Testing Laboratory.
According to Ojukwu, the panel has been mandated to establish the immediate and underlying causes of the collapse while extending its investigation to neighbouring buildings suspected to have similar structural defects.
“The core of their mandate will be to investigate the root cause of the collapse so we will not be speculating,” the commissioner said, adding that information provided by residents had already identified other buildings in the area that might pose safety risks.
He disclosed that preliminary findings indicated the hostel’s management was aware of structural defects but allegedly continued to accommodate tenants instead of evacuating the building and notifying the appropriate authorities.
“A reasonable course of action would have been to evacuate the building and notify the authorities for it to be pulled down. Instead, the management continued to accommodate tenants and collect rent,” Ojukwu said.
The commissioner confirmed that two bodies had so far been recovered from the rubble, although fears remained that more victims could still be trapped, warning that anyone found responsible for the incident would be prosecuted, while buildings found to be structurally unsafe would be demolished.
Meanwhile, emergency responders, including personnel of the police, the fire service and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), continued search-and-rescue operations at the scene as the government reiterated its determination to enforce building regulations and ensure that negligence of such magnitude does not recur.