Four Family Members Die in Ilorin Building Collapse
Four members of the same family have died after a three-storey building collapsed early Tuesday morning at No. 41 Popo Giwa Street, beside Gogoro Mosque, in Ilorin, Kwara State. The incident occurred at about 5am, trapping eight family members beneath the rubble. Rescue teams, including the fire service, emergency management agencies, security personnel and medical responders, were deployed to the scene. Four people were eventually rescued alive, including a child identified as Firdaus, while four others were confirmed dead. An excavator was brought in to help remove debris and reach those trapped. An eyewitness, Abdulganiy Musa, said the father of the family is a serving soldier, while the mother works as a casual staff member at the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies in Ilorin. Kwara State Fire Service spokesperson Hassan Adekunle confirmed that four people were rescued and four bodies recovered. He said the cause of the collapse would be established after a proper assessment of the structure, adding that the rescued victims were taken to hospital.
Representing Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development Lawal Olohungbebe described the incident as unfortunate and commiserated with the affected family. He said access roads in residential areas were important because they enabled emergency responders to reach the scene quickly, and urged residents and developers to comply with building and town-planning regulations. The commissioner commended the various agencies involved in the rescue effort, including the Ministries of Health and Environment, COREN, SEMA, NEMA, Fire Service, Civil Defence and the Red Cross. The Ilorin West Local Government Chairman, AbdulRahman Babatunde Ladan, said about six to seven ambulances were deployed to evacuate victims and urged residents to report structural defects and leave buildings showing signs of possible collapse. He also advised developers to use quality materials and engage qualified professionals to supervise construction. Authorities said the remaining structure would be assessed and secured while investigations continue to determine what caused the collapse.
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