Building collapse: FCT minister orders arrest of developer, engineer

Muhammad Bello, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), has directed security agencies to arrest the developer of the collapsed two-storey building in Abuja.

On Thursday, a three-storey building under construction collapsed in Abuja, leaving several trapped. Nineteen persons were rescued from the rubble.

Umar Shuaibu, coordinator of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), said the minister has directed the arrest of officers of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) who granted the development permit and supervised the project.

Shuaibu said the minister has also given directives for the arrest of engineers supervising the project.

During a visit to the location of the incident, the minister commiserated with the families of the victims and residents of the FCT.

Represented by Shehu Ahmad, the executive secretary of the federal capital development authority (FCDA), Bello said “this is coming at a time when we are all trying as a nation to come out of this worrisome situation of building collapse”.

“These are issues which the FCT environment was not prominent with, but because of some activities of quackery, this has come into the FCT and the FCT is not too happy with these happenings,” he added.

The minister said the FCTA would do everything possible to identify those involved in the unfortunate development.

“Preliminary report indicates that the land area where this property was standing doesn’t look well and stabilised. There is the presumption of inferior materials in the construction and workmanship,” he said.

“To this, the FCTA will take very seriously and engage the agencies involved to find a lasting solution to this type of embarrassment.”