Jos Building Collapse: Death toll hits 12, Sen. Gyang, Useni mourn

Death toll from Monday’s building collapse in Central Nigerian Jos city has risen to 12.

The owner of the collapsed building, Alhaji Kabiru Nalele, his two wives and nine others died in the incident, Mrs Junni Bala, Director of Search and Rescue, Plateau State Emergency Management Agency, told News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday.

The two-storey building located at Butcher Line, Dilimi in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State fell at about 6pm local time trapping many.

Rescuers recovered four corpses on Monday night from the rubble before discovering six others on Tuesday.

Four other people were critically injured in the disaster.

Sen. Jeremiah Useni at the residence of the collapsed building owner Kabiru Nalele

The opposition People’s Democratic Party candidate in the State’s March 2019 Governorship race, Mr. Jeremiah Useni has blamed the incident on government neglect.

“Most of the buildings in this part of the city are in bad shape and I expect the Ministries of Works, Environment and Urban Development to have done something about it,” he said.

Useni, a former Senator and Minister of Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory however called for close supervision of all urban building constructions.

The present Senator of Plateau North, Mr. Istifanus Gyang equally wants regulatory authorities to ensure compliance with building standards.

“This unfortunate incident also calls for attention by regulatory agencies like the Jos Metropolitan Development Board, JMDB to ensure that all property developers comply with the required and applicable standards to avoid similar occurrence in future,” Gyang said in a press statement, Tuesday.

He also called for emergency agencies to be strengthened for “prompt and effective” response during emergencies.