Tragedy struck in Owa-Alero, Ika North-East Local Government Area of Delta State, when a three-storey building under construction suddenly collapsed.
The incident, which occured in the Alegwe Quarters of the region, led to the death of one of the construction workers, a bricklayer identified simply as Sunny.
Our correspondent, who visited the site after the incident, gathered from a worker, named Mr. Ikechukwu Obiora, the major reason why the building collapsed.
He explained that construction work had resumed on Saturday, June 21, 2025, to cast the third floor of the building.
According to him, “We completed the first day’s work without any issues and spent the night in the building. The next day, I was at the top of the structure when I was alerted between 3 pm and 4 pm to signs of an impending collapse due to a wall breakage on the first floor.
“My colleagues and I stepped outside to assess the situation. After waiting for 15 minutes, Sunny insisted that nothing would happen and returned inside to continue working. Unfortunately, a few minutes later, the building collapsed on Sunny, resulting in his death.
“It’s heartbreaking, especially since he ignored our warnings to stop work. It is very painful that we came to Owa-Alero as a team of six, and now we are down to five. Nevertheless, I thank Almighty God that the structure did not collapse on the Saturday night we spent there,” he recounted.
Mr. Obiora revealed that the building contractor, whose name he could not identify as they were contracted by someone else, has since been detained at the Owa-Oyibu Police Divisional Headquarters due to the incident.
He attributed the collapse to a poor foundation, which he believes was inadequate to support a three-storey building.
Continuing, he said: “I maintain that it was a poor foundation that caused the collapse, as the wall breakage began at the bottom, proving it was unable to support the structure”, Mr. Obiora alleged.
The Chairman of the Ika North-East Local Government, Hon. Monday Odigwe, who visited the site of the collapsed building on Monday, June 23, 2025, called for a thorough investigation into the cause of the collapse and extended his condolences to the affected family.
He also urged relevant agencies responsible for building regulations to ensure that all construction projects adhere to international best practices to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Following Hon. Odigwe’s intervention, a pay loader machine was brought in on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, to remove the debris covering the remains of the late Sunny, which had been recovered after hours of thorough search.
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