Panic swept through Onipetesi Estate in Agege, Lagos, on Wednesday evening when a building under illegal reconstruction collapsed, trapping workers and children. The incident happened at 5 Modupe Ola Street, where a one-storey building was being hastily converted into a three-storey structure.

The building gave way around 6 p.m., sending residents and passersby rushing to help. With no emergency response at first, volunteers pulled five construction workers from the rubble. The injured men were taken to hospital with varying degrees of injuries.

Children at the nearby Bosco Child Protection Centre narrowly escaped after the collapse damaged the orphanage’s fence. Staff confirmed some workers were inside but managed to flee before the building came down.

“The building was not structurally sound. They were building on an old foundation, which is dangerous,” said resident Lucas Light, who blamed the collapse on poor planning and cost-cutting by the owner, identified only as Emeka.

Locals said the 20-year-old structure was recently expanded after the owner sold part of the land. The rushed work weakened the building and endangered nearby homes. Two neighbouring properties were also damaged.

Engineers at the site blamed substandard materials and disregard for safety rules. Efforts to reach the spokesperson of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Adu Ademuyiwa, were unsuccessful.

This latest collapse adds to Lagos’s troubling record of building failures, highlighting weak enforcement of regulations and the dangers of cutting corners in construction. For many, it was another reminder of how quickly negligence can turn homes into death traps.

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