By Stanley Onyekwere
A 27 year-old security guard simply identified as Aliyu who was rescued from the collapsed three story building located along Sarah Ezekwe Street, Life camp ( Near Kado Fish Market), in the FCT has had his mangled leg amputated.
Aliyu , who was on his duty post when the building collapsed is said to be in a stable condition, according to a statement by Head, Public Affairs at the FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD), Nkechi Isa.
FEMD, in the statement, which was made available yesterday, recalled that Aliyu was rescued, after eight hours search and rescue operation, and taken to the Cedar Crest Hospital, Apo.
It added that a combined team of FEMD , National Emergency Management Agency, Federal Fire Service, FCT Fire Service, FCT Police Command, Joint Task Force, the Civil Defense and Julius Berger Construction Company carried out the rescue operation.
“The incident which occurred last Saturday was reported by the Director of Security FCTA at about 7:09 pm.
“The three storey building was under construction with 3 sets of blocks of residential houses within the premises. And one of the blocks collapsed with two people inside.
“One of the victims escaped while the other was trapped inside the rubble of the collapsed building.
“After 8 hours of Search and Rescue operations, the victim was rescued alive at 4:05 am on Sunday”, it stated.
Reaction to the incident, the Ag Director General of FEMD, Engr. Abdulrahman Mohammed insisted that only professionals should engage in the building sector.
He said: “ This is the rainy season, builders must check the foundation of their structures and quickly correct any anomalies”.
The Ag DG also warned against the use of substandard and fake building materials noting that it had contributed to incidents of building collapse in the country.
He however, thanked FEMD’s stakeholders particularly the construction companies for their prompt response.
