Why Ikoyi building collapsed ― Coroner

A coroner’s inquest has revealed that the 21-storey building on Gerard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos State, collapsed due to negligence by agencies responsible for approval and supervision of the building project.

The coroner, Chief Magistrate O.A. Komolafe, made this known on Tuesday.

Komolafe gave verdict on an inquest into the building collapse which occurred on November 1, 2021, killing many people.

The inquest was to unravel the circumstances that led to the collapse of the building at No. 44, Gerard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos State.

Komolafe held that the building’s density and setback on the site showed gross violation of the Lagos State Building Regulations, adding that the project board which should have boldly shown the sensitive and important information, including the names and addresses of the professionals who carried out the project, was deliberately not provided.

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He noted that the act showed that the approving and supervising agencies did not sanction the offender, suggesting that they were compromised.

The coroner said the structure failure was due to design errors, noting that there was lack of quality assurance/control and poor management of the project.

Komolafe, however, adopted the recommendation contained in the Council for the Regulations of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) Report on the matter.

He equally urged the authorities concerned with the implementation of the recommendations to act accordingly.

The Star