A building on Asesi Lane, near Adeniji Adele Road, Lagos Island, collapsed suddenly overnight on Thursday, July 3, 2025, at 2:00 AM WAT, injuring 15 occupants and sparking a major rescue operation.
The two-story structure, housing 20 residents and a small shop, caved in due to structural failure, trapping 10 people under rubble. The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Nigerian Police, and Lagos State Traffic Management Authority responded, rescuing all trapped individuals by 6:00 AM, with three in critical condition hospitalized at Lagos Island General Hospital.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on-site at 7:00 AM, attributed the collapse to poor maintenance and illegal extensions, ordering a 72-hour audit of 500 buildings in Isale Eko. The incident, the third in Lagos in 2025, follows 90 collapses since 2012, killing 350, per the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).
Affected families, representing 5% of the area’s 50,000 residents, face N20 million in losses, with the state pledging N50 million in aid. Investigations target the landlord, with 70% of locals demanding stricter building codes.