Five members of the same family, comprising a mother and four of her children, have died following the collapse of part of a residential building in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
The incident occurred at about 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday at No. 41 Popo Giwa Street, beside Gogoro Mosque, in the Masalasi Gogoro area of Ilorin West Local Government Area.
Eight members of the family were reportedly inside the affected section of the building when it collapsed, trapping them beneath the rubble.
Emergency responders initially reported four fatalities and four survivors. Subsequent reports indicated that the death toll had risen to five, leaving three surviving members of the family.
The father, identified as a serving military officer who was on medical leave, was among those rescued alive. He was reportedly preparing to perform ablution when the building collapsed.
Rescue workers said a wooden component of the old structure prevented a heavy pillar from falling directly on him. Responders dug through the debris before pulling him to safety.
A child identified as Firdaus was also rescued from the collapsed structure, while the injured survivors were taken to a hospital for treatment.
The Kwara State Fire Service said it received a distress call at about 5:00 a.m. and immediately deployed personnel to the scene. An excavator was later brought in to assist with removing the rubble and reaching those trapped.
The Public Relations Officer of the state fire service, Hassan Adekunle, said the operation required the combined efforts of several emergency and security agencies.
Personnel from the Kwara State Emergency Management Agency, National Emergency Management Agency, Federal and State Fire Services, police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Red Cross and health services participated in the rescue operation.
Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, said preliminary findings showed that the collapsed section was attached to the main building.
Occupants of the remaining structure were evacuated as a precaution, pending a comprehensive assessment of its structural condition.
The fire service said the cause of the collapse had not been established and warned against speculation until a proper technical investigation was completed.
Representing Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq at the scene, the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Lawal Olohungbebe, described the incident as tragic and conveyed the state government’s condolences to the bereaved family.
Olohungbebe stressed the importance of complying with building and town-planning regulations, particularly requirements for access roads that enable emergency responders to reach distressed buildings quickly.
Ilorin West Local Government Chairman, AbdulRahman Babatunde Ladan, also urged residents to report visible structural defects and evacuate buildings whenever they notice cracks, unusual movements or other warning signs.
Authorities said a structural inspection would determine whether the remaining part of the building was safe for occupation or required further action.
The tragedy has renewed concerns over the condition of ageing residential buildings and the need for regular structural integrity assessments across Nigeria.
