NEWS
Facts/Figures: Abuja building collapse: 2 dead, 5 rescued
Two persons were feared dead on Friday, while five were rescued from rubble after a storey building collapsed in Kubwa Satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the building, which was under construction at Hamza Abdullahi Street Off Gado Nasco Road, equally housed a shopping mall.
NAN also reports that the rescued operation was carried out by a combined team of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council and Federal Roads Maintenance Agency.
Also among the rescued team were the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and others.
One of the residents, Mrs Chinyere Okah, who spoke with NAN, confirmed that the building which was being converted from a shopping mall to a residential apartment collapsed on Thursday night at about 10:30 p.m.
The Director-General, FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Alhaji Abbas Idriss, confirmed that two persons lost their lives in the incident, while the trapped persons had been rescued.
Abbas explained that the agency received a distress call about the incident at 11.45 pm on Thursday evening and thereafter activated its stakeholders to the scene.
He revealed that five persons were rescued and taken to Kubwa District Hospital, noting that two of the patients had since been discharged.
“As a follow up to the developing story of the collapsed building at Kubwa, a suburb in the FCT, the two trapped persons in the rubble have been rescued fatally injured.
“The bodies of the two persons that lost their lives have been deposited at the Kubwa District Hospital mortuary. Their relatives have been identified and were making arrangements for their burial.
“The rescue operation at the collapsed site came to an end with five number of persons rescued alive, three with various degrees of injuries , while two persons were unhurt and discharged from the Kubwa District Hospital,” he said.
He commended all the stakeholders for their prompt response and cooperation, including construction companies which is line with their corporate social responsibilities mobilised and deployed all their resources to saving live.
He also lauded the Security Agencies for their vigilance and support and t residents of the area for their cooperation during the rescue operations.
READ ALSO: UPDATED: Four rescued alive, One dead, others trapped in Abuja mall collapse
Idriss, however, appealed to developers to always obey the building code and warned residents to desist from living in uncompleted buildings.
Also, Mr Ikharo Attah, Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to the FCT Minister, said the owner of the property was fore-warned by concerned residents.
“The building was initially a shopping mall, but the report we got from residents was that the owner was warned, and at a certain point, it was now being converted to a residential apartment.
“The down was a shopping mall, but they were putting up some blocks of flat on the first and second suspended floors. You cannot alter a shopping mall and convert to a residential building thereby giving it more load that what it was meant to carry,” he said.
Attah added that the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello had ordered that tests be carried out on most of the high rise buildings around the area.
He noted that the combined team of security agencies at the scene is currently trailing the owner of the property, who residents suggested may have absconded.
“We have a policy in the FCTA that when a building collapses, the land is forfeited and revoked and the place is converted into a park or garden for residents around the neighbourhood,” he added.
On his part, Umar Shuaibu, Coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, blamed the incident on quackery and shady construction, adding that the FCTA has a policy of subjecting old buildings to integrity test.
A lawsuit has been filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenging the appointment of Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd.) as the Sole Administrator of Rivers State.
The legal action seeks to nullify his appointment and bar the President from making similar decisions in other states.
The suit, numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/572/2025, was initiated on Tuesday by Abuja-based lawyer Johnmary Jideobi, who argues that the appointment violates Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution.
The President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, is listed as the 1st defendant, while the Attorney-General of the Federation, Vice Admiral Ibas (Rtd.), and the Attorneys-General of the 36 states are named as the 2nd to 39th defendants.
Jideobi is urging the court to declare all decisions made by Ibas in his capacity as Sole Administrator unconstitutional and of no effect.
READ ALSO: Tinubu Swears In Ibas As Rivers Sole Administrator
He is also seeking an order preventing the President from appointing Sole Administrators in any state across Nigeria.
Through a team of lawyers led by Chimezie Enuka, the plaintiff is asking the court to rule on the following:
“Whether the President has the constitutional power to remove, suspend, or interfere with the tenure of an elected governor or deputy governor.
“Whether the suspension of the Rivers State Governor and Deputy Governor on March 18, 2025, was lawful.
“Whether the Constitution permits the appointment of a Sole Administrator to govern a state.
Jideobi contends that the only lawful means of removing a governor are outlined in Sections 180, 188, 189, 305, and 306 of the 1999 Constitution, none of which provide for the appointment of a Sole Administrator.
The plaintiff is asking the court to: overturn the suspension of the Rivers State Governor and Deputy Governor, Invalidate the appointment and swearing-in of Ibas as Sole Administrator, Order Ibas to immediately vacate the Government House in Rivers State and Issue an injunction stopping the President from appointing Sole Administrators in any Nigerian state.
In a 32-paragraph affidavit, Jideobi insists that Nigeria operates a federal system of government, where elected governors are not subject to presidential removal.
“As a lawyer, I have never seen the term ‘Sole Administrator’ in the 1999 Constitution,” he asserted.
He further argued that allowing the President to make such appointments could set a dangerous precedent, potentially leading to political instability in the country.
No hearing date has been scheduled yet.
The Senate has confirmed Sylvester Nwakuche as the new Controller General of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), following his appointment by President Bola Tinubu on December 13, 2024.
His appointment comes after the retirement of Haliru Nababa.
The confirmation was finalized during Tuesday’s plenary session after the Senate Committee on Interior, chaired by Senator Adams Oshiomhole, submitted its report.
READ MORE: 12 Inmates Escape Kogi Prison, Authorities Launch Manhunt
Lawmakers unanimously approved the committee’s recommendation, officially endorsing Nwakuche’s leadership of the NCoS.
Announcing the confirmation, Senate President Godswill Akpabio urged Nwakuche to take urgent steps to enhance the security of correctional facilities across the country.
“We hope that under your leadership, the era of frequent jailbreaks in the country will come to an end,” Akpabio stated.
This call for improved security comes in the wake of a recent jailbreak at the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Koton Karfe, Kogi State, where 12 inmates escaped in the early hours of Monday, resulting in the death of one correctional officer.
Suspended Kogi Central senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has petitioned the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), seeking the disbarment of Senator Nedamwem Imasuen, who currently serves as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions.
In her submission to the LPDC, Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Imasuen of being previously disbarred in the United States for professional misconduct.
She cited a ruling from the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, dated May 10, 2010, which she claims found him guilty of fraud, misappropriation of client funds, and failure to respond to disciplinary authorities.
READ ALSO: I’ll Never Apologise – Suspended Senator Natasha Fights Back
To substantiate her claims, the senator provided a copy of the Justia New York Case Law 2010, titled Matter of Imasuen, and stated that she would present additional evidence from official records when the case is heard.
According to Akpoti-Uduaghan, Imasuen was disbarred after a complaint was lodged by Daphne Slyfield, a former client who had allegedly paid him significant legal fees but was later abandoned.
The US court determined that he had violated multiple professional rules, leading to his permanent removal from legal practice in the country.
Following his disbarment, Imasuen moved to Nigeria, where he continued to operate as a lawyer while also building a political career.
He eventually won a seat in the National Assembly as the Senator representing Edo South and was later appointed as the chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee, a position that requires unquestionable integrity.
Akpoti-Uduaghan argues that Imasuen failed to disclose this crucial part of his history, both in his legal career and during his political aspirations.
She specifically pointed out that he did not reveal his disbarment in his Form EC9—his sworn declaration of personal details submitted to INEC during his election bid.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition is closely linked to her recent six-month suspension from the Senate, which was enforced under Imasuen’s leadership.
She alleged that Imasuen ignored an interim order from the Federal High Court in Abuja, issued on March 4, which had restrained his committee from proceeding with disciplinary action against her.
According to her, despite receiving the court’s directive, Imasuen “acted in contempt of court” by going ahead with her suspension. She also accused him of deliberately attempting to undermine the judiciary by disregarding the ruling.
Legal experts suggest that if the LPDC rules in Akpoti-Uduaghan’s favor, Imasuen could face serious professional and political consequences, including the potential revocation of his ability to practice law in Nigeria.
As of now, Senator Imasuen has not publicly responded to the allegations.
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