Tragedy in Anambra: Mother, 14-Year-Old Daughter Die in Building Collapse

A woman and her 14-year-old daughter have died after a three-storey building under construction collapsed onto their home in Okpoko, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, with authorities attributing the disaster to poor-quality construction and negligence.

The building collapsed at about 9:45 pm on Wednesday at Anata Anaba, trapping the mother and her daughter inside their apartment in a neighbouring bungalow.

Eyewitnesses said the structure made a loud noise before its walls began cracking and the building eventually collapsed, causing panic among residents. Emergency responders rescued other people trapped in the rubble and transported them to the hospital for treatment.

Residents said they had repeatedly raised concerns about the construction, citing the waterlogged nature of the land and questioning its suitability for a three-storey structure.

They alleged that the engineer initially engaged for the project had advised the builder to restrict the building to two floors because of the ground conditions. However, the recommendation was allegedly ignored, and another engineer was subsequently engaged to continue the construction to three storeys.

The deceased woman was the landlady of the bungalow struck by the collapsing structure. Her son, identified as Chimobi, said three members of the family were inside the apartment when the incident occurred.

“I was outside at the time of the incident. But my mother and my sister were in the bedroom when the building collapsed directly on them, leaving them with no opportunity to escape.

“It’s unfortunate. We had earlier warned the builder about the danger posed by the structure and we were joined by other residents in calling for the construction to be stopped, but our concerns were not heeded,” he lamented.

The Anambra State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Chijioke Ojukwu, confirmed the incident on Thursday during a visit to the scene alongside the member representing Ogbaru One Constituency in the state House of Assembly, Noble Igwe.

Ojukwu attributed the collapse to the use of substandard building materials and disclosed that the authorities had previously issued a stop-work notice on the project.

“The structure was an illegal building and we had ordered its demolition and the land is going to be forfeited to the state government. We are investigating other unapproved buildings under construction in the area.

“It collapsed under the weight of negligence and poor-quality construction. It fell over and killed the residents of a neighbouring bungalow, a woman and her child,” Ojukwu added.

The commissioner said the state government would investigate other unapproved buildings under construction in the area as part of efforts to address building safety concerns.

The tragedy adds to growing concerns over building collapses in Nigeria, where construction violations and structural safety failures continue to claim lives.

In September, one person died while two others were rescued after a two-storey building undergoing manual demolition collapsed at No. 42, Governors Road, Aboru, in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.

The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the agency dispatched its Alpha Eagle Response Team after receiving a distress call about the incident.