The Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) has issued a demolition order for a church building in the Somolu area following structural damage caused by a neighboring building collapse.
The affected structure, housing a parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), was partially compromised on Monday when a newly erected building under construction adjacent to it collapsed, narrowly missing worshippers who had gathered for service.
Following the incident, officials from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) confirmed that no casualties were recorded, though the church premises sustained significant structural damage.
In a follow-up inspection on Tuesday, LASBCA ordered the immediate evacuation of all occupants and pasted three separate notices on the premises, declaring the building unsafe. One of the notices stated that the structure was now considered “distressed” and required demolition within seven days.
A LASBCA official, Adekomi Adeniyi, confirmed that the notice had been issued by the agency after debris from the collapsed construction site was cleared and a further assessment of the church building was conducted.
The notice read in part:
“Notice is hereby given that if the said infraction is not removed within seven days from the date of this notice, the said unauthorised or distressed building shall be demolished and the cost of such demolition recovered from you.”
Pastor Daniel Ojo, who leads the parish, expressed concern over the impact of the demolition order on the congregation, noting that services had already been suspended due to safety concerns.
“We couldn’t hold our service today. The building beside us collapsed into our structure. Even before the incident, we had concerns about how fast the construction was progressing,” Ojo said.
He added that relocating the church temporarily poses a major challenge, as Somolu is predominantly industrial and has limited options for worship venues.
“Finding a suitable space is tough. If we move too far, we may lose members, and this church is more than just a building — it’s a family,” he added.
A nearby trader, who witnessed the collapse, said the construction workers narrowly escaped tragedy by leaping from the upper floors just before the building gave way.
“They were lucky. None of them was downstairs when the building started to give way. They managed to jump down and run for safety,” the trader said.
The incident has reignited questions about the safety and regulatory oversight of construction projects in Lagos, particularly the pace of unmonitored developments in densely populated areas.
