Detectives from Lagos State Police Command have arrested Mr. Odofin Taiwo, the contractor handling the collapsed five-storey building in Lekki area of the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Oladapo Badmus, who made the disclosure on Wednesday in Lagos, did not disclose where he was arrested.
Badmus said Taiwo “is currently under investigation”.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said that the death toll had risen to 30 as at 4 p.m. on Wednesday
The General Manager of LASEMA, Mr Michael Akindele, said that as at 12.40 p.m. on the same day, 13 other people had been rescued.
The 28th dead person was brought out from the rubble about 2 p.m., and the 30th minutes before 4 p.m.
The dead bodies had been evacuated to the mortuary.
Stench from the dead bodies filled the air, forcing the rescue operators and other sympathisers to cover their nostrils with handkerchief.
“As we speak, we have been able to rescue 13 people alive, and unfortunately, 30 others have been brought out dead.
“The operation is still ongoing, and I want to commend all the security agencies that have ensured the protection of the rescue operatives.
The Standard Organisation (SON) led by its Director, Inspectorate and Complaint, Mr Bede Obayi, inspected the collapsed building and others under construction in the area.
Obayi ordered for the collection of the different building materials used for the collapsed building, including iron rods, blocks, sand, granites and sea water for laboratory analysis.
“The first thing in a house is the block, from the ones we have examined here, it has failed the test.
“The construction of this building is not up to 50 meters from the sea, showing that this land was reclaimed from the sea.
“There are conditions for reclaiming a land from the sea and the kind of building materials to be used in such lands.
“We have to examine all the materials used for this building and see if they meet the conditions,’’ he said.
“You need to also see that the right professionals handled the building project. If you use the best materials without the right professionals handling the materials, things will still go wrong.
“You must be a registered professional engineer for you to handle this type of project.
“If you want to build, you must look for a professional. We are going to investigate all the structures and materials in this environment,’’ Obayi said.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has expressed its condolences over the death of the workers.
In a statement on Wednesday by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, the Lagos State Government also announced that based on preliminary reports and investigation, it was discovered that the collapsed building was served contravention notice for exceeding the approved floors and, thereafter, sealed by the Lagos State Building Control Agency.
It added that it has also been discovered that in a brazen act of defiance and impunity, the owners of the building, Messrs Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited, the promoters of Lekki Gardens, criminally unsealed the property and continued building beyond the approved floors until the unfortunate incident of Tuesday which has led to loss of lives.
The statement added that arising from the Lagos State Executive Council meeting decision on Wednesday, the State Government will no longer tolerate the action of unscrupulous owners and builders who challenge its supervisory control thereby endangering the lives of Lagosians.
The State Government has consequently directed the suspension of work at the site and ordered the Lagos State Police Command to cordon it off as it is now a crime scene.
The government also directed further integrity tests be carried out on every other construction project which has or is currently being handled by Messrs Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited in the interest of public safety.
Furthermore, the release quoted the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode as saying that all directors of Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited are strongly advised to submit themselves to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police within the next twenty four hours in their own interest or face immediate arrest.
The statement also commended the timely response and remarkable intervention by the combined men of the Lagos State Emergency Authority (LASEMA), the Lagos State Fire Service, Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), Red Cross, National Emergency Agency (NEMA), Lagos State Building Control Agency and the Rapid Response Squad (RRS).
The Lagos State Government also warned that it will no longer be business as usual stating that any developer either on existing or new building projects who fails to comply with building and construction regulations or attempts to subvert the law will henceforth face criminal prosecution.
The state also read the riot act to land grabbers (omo onile), warning that anyone found using land grabbers to disturb public peace and illegally disposses people of their property would be prosecuted in accordance with relevant criminal laws.
The State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, who said this shortly after the monthly Security Council Meeting, said the state government was seriously concerned about the menace of land grabbing, especially as activities of land grabbers have escalated in recent times, and that it would no longer be tolerated henceforth.
Briefing journalists at the end of the meeting chaired by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and attended by heads of security agencies in the state, Kazeem said the Council strongly condemned the disturbing menace of land grabbing, and advised members of the public who are victims of such to gather enough evidence and forward same to the appropriate security agencies for prompt action.
“Land is a very important asset in this state and the security of title is also very important and therefore, anybody who uses threat of arms or physical threat to disposes people of their legitimate property will be treated as criminals.
“Land grabbing can be civil and criminal once you use threat of arms and other physical threat to disposes people of their property and so what I will advice the public is that when you are faced with situation like this, do not physically engage these people. What you should do is to get details, video and any other information you can get on them, pass such information to the security agencies who will in turn pass them to the government and I assure you that my office will work round the clock to prosecute these people for crimes.
“It is criminal trespass when you seek to go on other people’s property that does not belong to you. So, this is a clear warning that the Lagos State Government will no longer tolerate these activities. It is going to be zero tolerance,” the Commissioner said.
Also speaking to reporters on the outcome of the meeting, the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni said the Council majorly considered the need to build on the successes recorded so far with regard to providing safety and security for the people, and also looked at the need to sustain and improve on measures that have so far been put in place which resulted in successes against crimes.
He said Ambode specifically appreciated the people for providing useful information to security agencies, and urged them not to relent in further supporting the government and indeed security agencies.
“Let me reassure members of the public that the Lagos State Government and its security apparatus have all the wherewithal to hunt and look for anybody that comes to Lagos to engage in any criminal activities and let me place it on record that such criminals will be pursued to any nook and cranny that they may run to and they will be made to face the law of the land.
“In furtherance as well, the Council considered the need for us to also re-gig our efforts toward the Easter Celebration that is coming up and we also looked generally at the activities of hoodlums who had called themselves the land grabbers,” Owoseni said.
He added that the police would work with relevant agencies to stop the activities of land grabbers, and that the police was poised to go headlong to pursue the criminal elements in the state.
