Saturday, July 18, 2026

Wike orders arrest of owner of collapsed building in Abuja

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

• August 24, 2023
Wike at the scene of the collapsed building
Wike at the scene of the collapsed building[ Credit: Daily Trust]

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.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

WHO health workers in protective gear .

Africa

DRC recorded 828 Ebola deaths, 2,124 cases: WHO

The WHO noted that the latest patient was discharged on July 16 after testing negative twice.

Icerberg lettuce and Taco Bell outlet.

World

Taco Bell’s iceberg lettuce responsible for cyclospora infections in five U.S. states: CDC

In a separate health advisory, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said cyclospora is a parasite that can only be seen under a microscope.

Venezuela earthquakes

World

Venezuela twin earthquakes death toll hits 5,000, over 16,000 injured

The earthquakes tore through La Guaira state, a port town, and also affected some part of Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.

Canada wildfires

Heading 4

Trump threatens Canada with more tariffs over wildfire smoke polluting U.S. 

Mr Trump stated, “This is willful negligence, and becoming a yearly occurrence, costing the United States billions of dollars.”

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

NationWide

PDP Leadership Tussle: Court fines Wabara-led BoT, lawyer N150 million, dismisses suit against Wike-led faction 

The PDP faction, loyal to the FCT Minister,BoT Nyesom Wike, approached the court and challenged the jurisdiction of the court to hear the suit.