FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, has ordered the arrest of the owner of the two-storey shopping complex that collapsed during a heavy downpour in the Garki area of Abuja.

The building, located on Lagos street, collapsed on Wednesday at about 11:50 p.m., killing two and injuring many.

Speaking at the scene of the incident, Mr Wike said, “When government says take building plan, it is not to suffer anybody but to make sure that everyone is protected. Cities are planned to forestall this kind of occurrences. Imagine buildings without approval. I will ask that we must identify and arrest the owner of this property. It is very important.  
  “Secondly, these are the things we have been saying, nobody knows whose turn it will be, therefore when government says it will take actions in areas we believe there are illegal developments or buildings that do not comply with the standard codes, it is not as if anybody has any personal vendetta but for me it is for us to do the right thing.”
Mr Wike also pledged that the government would take over the bills of the 37 persons rescued from the rubble.
 “It is unfortunate that we woke this morning to the very disturbing news of this building collapse. It is not what we contemplated. Let me thank the agencies particularly NEMA and FEMA that have supported us to rescue not less than 37 lives. It is unfortunate that we lost two lives. I will appeal to the Permanent Secretary to make sure that funds are raised to pay the hospital bills of those who were rescued so that we do not lose any more person, and this should be done immediately.”

The director-general of FCT Emergency Management Agency FEMA, Abbas Idriss, commended the efforts of the rescue team and members of the community who toiled under the rain to rescue victims from the rubble.

Meanwhile, the director, department of development control, Mukhtar Galadima confirmed that the collapsed building has no planning approval because the said area is meant for resettlement.