A gigantic shopping plaza belonging the former governor of Delta State, James Ibori caved in today in the Jabi area of Abuja, trapping over 100 workers as they got midway casting concrete floors on the 4-storey building. Unofficial death tolls reached over 30 as rescue efforts are continued last night.

The former governor who left office on May 29 2007 started the construction of the plaza about July 2007. The plaza is made of ten blocks of shopping centers considered the largest in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital territory.

Sources knowledgeable about the clandestine construction of the plaza told Saharareporters that Ibori visited the site several times before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested him late last year. Ibori’s arrest and subsequent prosecution by the EFCC led to work stoppage on the site for over two months, serious work resumed earlier this year after Nuhu Ribadu was removed from the EFCC as chairman.

Sources told Saharareporters that it was public knowledge that Ibori owns the plaza but carefully avoided giving away its real ownership by not placing any signpost on the construction site as required by federal regulations. A company that specializes in using direct labor for small time constructions was hired to complete the shopping plaza so as to avoid detection by anti-corruption agencies.

The four- storey building which was located along Solomon Lar Way in Utako District of Abuja opposite Daily Trust newspapers, collapsed around 3.00 PM Abuja time, trapping; bricklayers, carpenters, plumbers and food hawkers servicing day laborers working on the site.

An eyewitness who craved anonymity said that there was a crack under the building but the workers ignored it and continue with work, suddenly the whole building just came down and people were shouting. One of the five laborers who escaped from the collapsed building told reporters that, “We are calling their cell phones and some of them are responding but now they cannot be reached any longer”.

“Even the site engineer, a man named Peter was here and the Contractor came to inspect the building and they were all trapped.” Another eyewitness told rescuers and reporters who covered the tragedy. “Those people must have died we cannot say the exact number of people inside but they must be up to 100.”

Findings at the site of the incident revealed that the materials used in the construction are substandard. FCT officials told Saharareporters anonymously that serious defects were found in the building, while efforts were made to demolish some of the buildings but the owners of the building were just too powerful.

The rescue operation could not start on time as a result of late arrival of the excavator and crane. The Minister of FCT, Aliyu Moddibo arrived the scene of the accident and said that the contractor would be brought to book before leaving.

Also at the scene were, Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro, Corps Marshal Federal Road Safety Commission, Osita Chidoka expressed shock and described it as a National tragedy.

Meanwhile, Ibori has maintained stoic silence over the incident, much like he did with the disappearance of a Beechcraft 1900 aircraft belonging to his Wings Aviation airline in march this year. The 19-passenger aircraft was on its way to Calabar, Cross Rivers State on a charter run, it is yet to be located by Nigerian aviation officials, fueling speculations that the aircraft was smuggled out of the Nigeria airspace by Ibori and the managing director of the airline, Noggie Meggison with the connivance of Nigerian federal aviation officials.

Sources close to Ibori gave a differing account of his whereabouts, while a source told us he is currently at his home in the Aso Rock area of the FCT, Abuja, another of his friend said he sent out text messages informing friends that he will be traveling to Lagos tomorrow morning from his Oghara hometow

Chei, Nigeria and calamities!

Why would an uncompleted building be described as a shopping mall?


this media sef

Are we all talking about what was shown yesTerday?


Fatal building collapse in Abuja
Rescue workers at the site of a collapsed building in Abuja
Eyewitnesses say 20 labourers were working on the building as it collapsed

At least two people have been killed and ten injured when a four-storey shopping centre under construction collapsed in Nigeria's capital, Abuja.

Emergency workers are trying to rescue as many as 15 people believed to be buried beneath the rubble.

Rescuers were talking to a trapped labourer by mobile phone but he is no longer answering their calls, rescuers said on Wednesday.

The building site was due to become the capital's largest shopping centre.

"We were talking to a labourer by his mobile phone, but we have lost contact with him now, his phone rings and he doesn't answer," said Civil Defence Corps commander Ade Abolurin.

The workers who survived had thrown themselves from the top floor of the wooden scaffolding, he said.

One had suffered serious spinal injuries.

Falling debris

Eyewitness Mustapha Murtala told the BBC that there were about 20 labourers working on the building as it collapsed.

There were others hawking food and water in the building at the time.

Reuters news agency quoted police as saying the number was between 40 and 50.

"There was a woman selling water in the building, she started screaming and the building collapsed," Mr Murtala said.

He said she was killed by falling debris.

The BBC's Andrew Walker in Abuja says building collapses have been common in Nigeria.

Two years ago the government promised to improve building regulations after hundreds were killed when a high-rise building collapsed in Nigeria's main city of Lagos.

http://www.saharareporters.com/www/news/detail/?id=673

Actually It's only 3 people confirmed dead

http://africa.reuters.com/country/NG/news/usnL9420182.html

The fact is that:


It's not a shopping mall!

Mustay:

The fact is that:


It's not a shopping mall!

it's a shopping mall under construction now.
What should it be called?

An uncompleted building

Hi, ,

Your post was very nice. And you had a detail information.

recycling bins

May the souls of the dead rest in peace.

Everything to do with Ibori is cursed.

Na wa for the misfortune befalling Ibori at this point in time.

do people ever check the date of a post b4 jerking typing off 
smh

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