Authorities in Rivers State have launched an investigation into the collapse of a five-storey building in Port Harcourt, with Governor Siminalayi Fubara ordering the immediate closure of the construction site.
The building, which collapsed on Wednesday, left one person dead and several others injured.
During a visit to the scene on Thursday, Fubara said the site would remain sealed until a full investigation establishes the cause of the incident. The governor disclosed that preliminary reports suggested the developer repeatedly resisted inspections by state authorities and failed to comply with required building regulations.
“We are here to see for ourselves this very unfortunate incident”, Fubara said, adding that officials had made several attempts to monitor the project during construction.
According to him, the developer consistently maintained that the state government had no authority over the site, which was said to fall within the jurisdiction of the Federal Housing Authority. Fubara expressed sympathy to the families of the victims and stressed that the tragedy might have been prevented if approved engineering standards had been followed.
“Nothing is going to happen on this site anymore. We will ensure that it remains completely sealed until we determine the root cause of this incident”, he said.
The governor said the focus now is on uncovering what led to the collapse and ensuring accountability, while efforts continue to support those affected by the disaster.
