Ikoyi Building Collapse: Death Toll Reaches 45

The Lagos state government has released a new statement on the Ikoyi Building Collapse, rubbishing rumours of demolition of the other standing buildings and announcing that the death toll at the site now stands at 45 people.

In a Facebook post, the official account of the Lagos State Government stated that contrary to reports flying around, there has been no official directive issued concerning the demolition of the two remaining buildings standing at the site of the collapse. The statement said that the panel of inquiry that had been established to launch an investigation into the situations surrounding the collapse of the building is still sitting, and an integrity test has yet to be conducted on the two standing buildings around the collapse site. The statement then said that assuming that the buildings will be demolished is wrong.

The government said that operation around the collapse site has continued, with the road reopened and smooth vehicular movement going on around it.

It was then announced that two more bodies were recovered from the debris, bringing the total number of bodies recovered from the site to 45. Identification of the bodies of victims of the collapse, and recovery of identified bodies continues at IDH, Yaba, Lagos Mainland. Over thirty families have come forward to submit DNA samples in order to identify the bodies which they wish to claim. However, bodies will only be released to families when the identification is extremely clear and there is no cause for argument or no disparities at all.

In the final part of the statement, the government announced that a committee that will supervise the identification of bodies and subsequent release to families – when cleared – has begun work. The committee is made up of senior officials of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Justice.

The statement was released on the Lagos State Government’s Facebook page, with the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy signing under it.