A one-storey commercial building housing eight shops has collapsed at Ikenga Ogidi along the Onitsha-Awka-Enugu Expressway in Anambra State following persistent rainfall, destroying goods and properties worth millions of naira.
The building, located near the Building Materials International Market, Ogidi, reportedly caved in on Saturday night after hours of heavy rainfall that triggered severe flooding and erosion in the area.
When journalists visited the scene on Monday, the structure had been reduced to rubble, with parts of the debris already washed away by floodwaters.
Although no casualties were recorded, traders and business owners occupying the premises were said to have closed for the day before the building collapsed.
Residents said the building housed about eight shops used for the sale of building materials and had shown signs of structural distress before the incident.
Eyewitnesses attributed the collapse to heavy erosion and poor drainage around the structure. According to them, the building was erected on a major water channel and right-of-way, making it vulnerable to flood damage.
One resident explained that an underground drainage system crosses beneath the Onitsha-Awka-Enugu Expressway and terminates near the site where the building was constructed.
He said the persistent rainfall and flooding from both sides of the expressway overwhelmed the structure, leading to its eventual collapse.
“We knew the collapse was imminent because the building had already started leaning due to erosion and continuous rainfall,” the resident said.
Following the incident, residents called on the Anambra State Government and the Federal Ministry of Works to halt further construction along the drainage corridor to prevent future disasters.
Government officials were also seen at the scene assessing the extent of the damage and evaluating nearby structures for possible safety risks.
A government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said investigations had commenced to determine the cause of the collapse and whether the building received the necessary approvals and complied with construction standards.
According to the official, preliminary findings indicated extensive structural damage, while authorities would establish whether regulatory procedures were ignored during the construction of the building.
The official also urged residents to remain vigilant as persistent rainfall continues across the state.
Efforts to obtain comments from the spokesperson of the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, were unsuccessful as calls to his phone line did not connect as of Monday.
