Seven people were injured when a two-storey building under construction collapsed in Jikwoyi, Abuja, on Friday at around 11:00 a.m. The structure gave way while 17 workers were on the upper floor, according to the FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD). Five construction workers sustained injuries, while another man was trapped on the ground floor but later rescued. All victims were taken to Sisters of Nativity Hospital in Jikwoyi, where they are said to be responding to treatment. FEMD's Search and Rescue Team, alongside NEMA, FCDA Engineering Department, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Fire Service, and FCT Police Command, responded promptly to the scene. Excavation continued to ground level to confirm no one else remained trapped.
In a separate incident, a fire broke out at Car Earloha Chery Centre along Kubwa Expressway at about 12:00 noon. The blaze, attributed to an electrical fault, destroyed part of the building and damaged equipment and documents. Staff managed to move vehicles out before emergency teams arrived. No injuries were recorded.
A building collapses with 17 workers on the upper floor, yet only seven are injured—this suggests either sheer luck or dangerously lax construction oversight. The presence of multiple agencies at the scene does not erase the fact that such incidents keep recurring in Abuja's fast-expanding construction zones. If FCDA and development control bodies aren't enforcing structural safety standards before disasters happen, their routine inspections are little more than theatre. For Abuja residents, this near-miss should prompt serious questions about who is truly accountable when buildings fall.
