Students and teachers narrowly escaped death on Monday after a four-storey school building collapsed in the Ogba area of Lagos shortly after the occupants were evacuated.
The building, which housed Yemco Nursery, Primary and Comprehensive College, collapsed around midday at 11 Adudatu Street, behind County Hospital in the Aguda axis of Ogba.
Witnesses said the structure gave way just minutes after students and staff members were hurried out of the premises, preventing what residents described as a potential tragedy.
Residents recount moment of collapse
A resident in the area said the building collapsed about three minutes after the evacuation was carried out.
According to the witness, the quick action taken by school authorities helped prevent casualties.
The resident explained that the evacuation was triggered after wooden planks reportedly fell from the roof of the building, raising concerns among people in the neighbourhood.
An elderly man living nearby reportedly alerted school management about the possible danger, prompting the immediate evacuation of students and teachers.
Another resident, Taiwo Ridwan, said the building had shown visible signs of distress shortly before it collapsed.
He explained that cracks began appearing in the structure and window frames had already fallen apart before the incident occurred.
According to him, the outer cement layer of the building began peeling off before the structure eventually gave way.
Emergency response at the scene
Officials from the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service later arrived at the scene and secured the area to prevent residents from accessing the collapsed structure.
Authorities restricted movement around the site while emergency teams assessed the situation.
Part of the property used for residential purposes was still standing beside the collapsed section of the building.
No casualties reported
As of the time of reporting, no casualties had been confirmed from the incident.
Efforts to obtain an official statement from the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service were unsuccessful.
The agency’s Director of Public Affairs, Margaret Adeseye, had not issued a formal response regarding the cause of the collapse.
Building collapses remain a recurring concern in Lagos, often raising questions about structural safety, regulatory compliance and building standards in the state.
