A Niger warehouse collapses, injuring numerous people

When a one-story warehouse collapsed in the Sabon Gari neighborhood of Minna, several people were reportedly trapped inside and many of them died.

But according to a statement from the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), which verified the building fall, no one had died as of the time of the report.

The PUNCH discovered that as the building fell, two trailer loads of soft drinks were being offloaded inside the warehouse, including around fifty individuals.

At the crowded Kasuwan Gwari Market on Friday, the incident took place.

When the building fell, worried Nigerians gathered around it to assist in rescuing the trapped and injured, according to eyewitness Aliyu Umaru, who spoke with PUNCH.

“Many people were trapped in the building. Some were pulled out dead while some seriously injured ones were rushed to hospital. Their condition was critical. One particular victim was panting for his life as he was being carried to the hospital. I doubt if he will survive,” the eyewitness said.

According to Umaru, the building was originally a residential structure that the owner—a Kano State native—converted into a warehouse without making any modifications to make it suitable for a warehouse.

In a statement, the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) acknowledged the building’s collapse but noted that no fatalities had occurred as of the time of the report.

The building will be dismantled, according to NSEMA Director General Abdullahi Baba-Arah, who verified the occurrence in a statement on Friday night.

Additionally, according to Baba-Arah, there was no permit obtained for the building’s transformation from a residence to a warehouse.

“NSEMA received a distress call at 3:15 pm. of a building collapse at Sabon Gari area of Minna. The agency quickly alerted responding agencies for search and rescue operations.

“The search and rescue operations were conducted under the leadership of NSEMA, NEMA, State Urban Development Board, and State Environmental Protection Agency in conjunction with the Federal Fire service, The police, NSCDC, NDLEA, The Redcross, Vigilant groups and some volunteers.

“As at the time of filing this report, no life was lost, 5 people were rescued with various degrees of injuries, while 2 people escaped unhurt. An excavator was brought in to help in clearing the debris for possible entrapment, NEMA also brought life-dictating gadgets, but after intensive searching for about 3 hours, no one was trapped,” Baba-Arah said.

The NSEMA revealed that their investigation revealed that the story building had been originally used for residential reasons before being converted to a warehouse during the search and rescue activities.

“The owner has no approval for a change of purpose, and it was also poorly constructed with substandard materials. The warehouse was full to the brim with soft drinks from about 25 trucks, which overpowered the structure that led to its collapse”.

The State Urban Development Board has mandated the building’s total demolition, according to NSEMA.