News
I was on seventh floor when Banana Island building collapsed– Site engineer
On Wednesday, the peace and serenity of Banana Island, Ikoyi, a highbrow Lagos community, was shattered after a seven-storey building under construction collapsed.
Like fire in harmattan, the news quickly spread as emergency management workers hurried to the scene to pull out people who were trapped under the rubble.
While some of the victims were taken to the Lagos Island General Hospital, others were admitted to the Falomo Police Hospital, Ikoyi.
The site engineer and supervisor, Timothy Omotosho, was among those lucky to escape with his life.
Due to the severity of his injuries, he was rushed to the general hospital, where doctors pulled him out of the jaws of death.
When our correspondent visited the medical facility, he found the victim, along with four other critically injured victims, lying on the bed.
Omotosho sustained injuries on his head and had some portions of his leg and arms heavily plastered.
While recalling the incident, he said he was supervising the concrete casting on the seventh floor when the slab suddenly broke into two.
The supervisor noted that unlike other workers who started fleeing for their lives, he was too much in shock to move.
He said, “We were casting the seventh-floor slab. I was supervising the casting of the concrete. We were like 80 per cent done; before I knew what was happening, a side of the slab broke into two. Some of my guys immediately started running down the stairs, but I didn’t know what to do. I was in shock. I was just standing there.
“The next thing, the building collapsed on me when I was still on the seventh floor and when I opened my eyes, I was on the ground floor. All I know is someone carried me and I found myself in a vehicle.”
Omotosho said the concrete used on the site was pre-mixed by a company and every batch was tested for integrity before it was used.
He noted that he could not fathom what went wrong that led to the collapse of the building.
Three other victims in the same ward with Omotosho sustained varying degrees of injuries.
While one had an injury on his shoulder, the other had an injury on both knees.
The last victim had his head all wrapped in a bandage with one of his eyes completely covered.
It was gathered that he would be going for a CT scan to ascertain the extent of his injuries.
The fifth survivor was at a different section of the general hospital, where he was being treated for a broken spine.
When our correspondent visited the Falomo Police Hospital, Ikoyi, a nurse, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said 10 people were rushed to the facility.
“Six of the 10 have been discharged; they sustained minor injuries, but the remaining four are still under observation,” she added.
In the Accident and Emergency Ward, there was one patient, while two other patients, a carpenter, Ramon Oladapo, and one David, were admitted to the surgical ward.
Co-worker saved me – Carpenter
Our correspondent observed that friends and families were with their loved ones, but Oladapo was alone in a corner, visibly in pain.
When asked where his family was, the artisan, who had his cell phone by his bedside, said he did not tell his wife and children that he was at the scene of the building collapse.
The 37-year-old told Saturday PUNCH that after he noticed that the building was about to collapse, he started running down the stairs from the seventh floor where he was working.
On getting to the fourth floor, the structure fell on him.
He said, “I am a carpenter and I was working under the decking of the seventh floor when the building caved in. As I heard the sound, I tried to find a way out immediately.
“I started running down the stairs; I managed to make it to the fourth floor before the building gave way. I just saw myself under the decking and I started shouting for help. God opened a way for me; my co-workers discovered me and pulled me out.
“I am married with three children. I live at Kola, after Iyana-Ipaja. My wife and children are not aware that a building collapsed on me or I am in a hospital. I do not want to tell her so she doesn’t become worried and afraid.
“I had a minor chest surgery this afternoon (Thursday). I have been experiencing pain in my chest and I have injuries on my hands and legs, although they are not much. I am grateful to be alive.”
The Lagos State Government, in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said the state would bear the cost of treatment of the victims and provide post-trauma counselling support for them
He also noted of the 25 persons rescued by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, 16 with moderate injuries were admitted to the General Hospital, Odan, Lagos Island, and Police Hospital, Falomo, for treatment and care.
Omotosho explained that nine others with minor injuries, such as bruises, were treated and discharged at the site by Lagos State Ambulance Services.
By Okey Maduforo Awka
The Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved the promotion of the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Livingstein Ikioye Orutugu, alongside 12 other Commissioners of Police, to the rank of Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG).
The Commission also approved the promotion of 17 Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) to the substantive rank of Commissioner of Police (CP).
In addition, the PSC approved the promotion of 93 senior police officers to their next ranks following their successful performance in the recently concluded written examination and oral interview conducted at the Commission’s Corporate Headquarters in Abuja.
The approvals were granted on July 1, 2026, at the PSC Corporate Headquarters in Abuja as one of the major resolutions reached during the Commission’s plenary meeting held the previous Wednesday.
Recall that CP Orutugu was appointed Police Commissioner and posted to Anambra state from the Zone 13 Police Command more than a year ago.
The Chairman of the Commission, DIG Hashimu Salihu Argungu (Rtd.), mni, while congratulating the promoted officers, urged them to remain truthful, transparent, and accountable in the discharge of their new responsibilities.
He further advised the officers to maintain the highest level of professionalism in the course of their duties, avoid involvement in civil disputes, particularly land-related matters, and remain mindful that there is life after retirement.
“Guard your reputation and integrity. Let your actions speak for you and not against you,” he said.
A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Osita Okechukwu, has commended President Bola Tinubu for retaining His Excellency Kashim Shettima as Vice President for his second term.
Okechukwu, who is the former Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), gave the commendation in a statement issued on Saturday in Enugu.
The APC Chieftain also advocated for the delegation of greater responsibilities to Shettima in overseeing the nation’s economic affairs.
Okechukwu said he was delighted that after all the speculation, rigmarole and political maneuvering surrounding the issue, President Tinubu graciously retained Vice President Shettima.
“May I commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for graciously retaining His Excellency Kashim Shettima as Vice President and humbly request that more powers be delegated to him to oversee economic affairs.
“I am making this humble appeal based on the fact that the economic reforms of President Tinubu have yielded significant gains at the macroeconomic stability level.
“However, hunger and poverty remain pressing challenges, which invariably require the urgent delegation of greater economic responsibilities to the Vice President, given his background in rural development and economic management,” Okechukwu said
The APC Chieftain recalled that the International Monetary Fund (IMF), godfather of neoliberalism and leading advocate of neoliberal economic policies, noted in its 2026 Article IV Consultation on Nigeria that the country requires more inclusive growth.
He quoted IMF as saying “approximately 63 per cent of Nigerians now live below the national poverty line”.
Okechukwu stressed that while the President’s economic reforms had improved key macroeconomic indicators, greater attention must be directed toward translating those gains into tangible improvements in the living standards of ordinary Nigerians.
“Shettima’s academic background in Agricultural Economics, experience in banking, and record in public service place him in a strong position to support efforts aimed at reducing poverty, promoting rural development, and ensuring that economic growth becomes more inclusive,” he added.
A Catholic priest from Nigeria who was on a pastoral mission to the United States of America has taken his own life after the expiration of his visa and following prevailing new visa policy of the USA.
Reverend Father Benjamin Okwy Madu (Father Ben) as he was fondly called by his parishioners, aged 54, took his own life Thursday evening, July 2, 2026 after he reportedly expressed unwillingness to go back to Nigeria because he had fallen in love with the community of Cape Ann, the city of North Shore including the parishioners.
Boston Archbishop Richard G. Henning sent a message to fellow priests confirming that Father Ben took his own life.
Local law enforcement and the Essex County District Attorney’s Office investigated the scene and noted that no foul play was suspected.
“Sincerely, it is not my wish to return home right now, but circumstances beyond my control have warranted that my time in the United States come to an end,” Father Ben wrote.
“My heart is broken, yet my joy remains. I will miss the home I found away from home… I will deeply miss the seaside, where I often drive to after Mass to call my family and hear about their Sundays.” he was reported to have posted a farewell message on the parish newsletter.
Father Ben, a 54-year-old Nigerian national from the Diocese of Abakaliki, had been serving as a beloved hospital chaplain and parish priest on the North Shore of Massachusetts since 2021.
His R-1 religious worker visa was expiring, and he was ordered to return to Nigeria. Just days before his death.
The Boston Globe reported that he had expressed deep fears about what would happen to him upon returning to Nigeria, where clergy frequently face severe perils, including violence and kidnapping
The outbreak is said to have spread across several ISWAP enclaves, exposing worsening sanitary conditions and the dwindling availability of medical care within the insurgents’ camps.
Security analyst Zagazola Makama disclosed the development in a post on X, citing intelligence sources familiar with the situation.
According to the sources, two other ISWAP fighters who contracted the highly infectious disease were allegedly executed by members of the group after efforts to treat them in Kimba village proved unsuccessful.
The incident is believed to reflect the increasingly difficult conditions inside the terrorist camps, where sustained military offensives have disrupted supply routes and severely limited access to medicines, healthcare and other essential resources.
Intelligence sources said the combination of poor hygiene, inadequate medical facilities and mounting operational pressure has left many of the insurgents vulnerable to disease outbreaks.
The sources further disclosed that military commanders have been advised to intensify efforts to intercept medical supplies and pharmaceutical products suspected of being destined for terrorist hideouts. Security officials believe cutting off access to healthcare supplies could further weaken ISWAP’s ability to treat injured or sick fighters and reduce the group’s operational capacity.
While the reports have not been independently verified, the development is seen as another indication of the mounting challenges facing the insurgent group as security forces continue sustained operations across the North-East.
The development was disclosed on Friday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
In a shared post on his verified X handle, Onanuga simply announced that the victims had been released by their abductors.
“Finally, all the kidnapped pupils and teachers in Orire, Oyo have been rescued by our security agencies,” he wrote.
As of the time of filing this report, details surrounding their release, including whether any ransom was paid or the circumstances leading to their freedom, had yet to be disclosed.
The abductions occurred on May 15, 2026, when armed men attacked three schools; Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School, in the Esiele and Yawota communities of Oriire Local Government Area.
No fewer than 39 pupils and seven teachers, including a principal, were taken during the attacks.
During the attack, a teacher, Joel Adesiyan, was killed while attempting to escape.
Another teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was beheaded in the kidnappers’ den.
The terrorists holding the victims had reportedly made a four-point demand before agreeing to free the captives, including the release of detained terrorist commanders, payment of ransom, two Hilux vehicles and the implementation of Sharia-related law.
The Oyo State Government had consistently maintained that no ransom would be paid to secure the release of any victims.
The incident had triggered weeks of public anguish, with the Nigeria Union of Teachers embarking on a month-long strike in the state to press for the victims’ rescue before suspending the action in July.
It also drew federal intervention, with military and police authorities repeatedly assuring Nigerians that operations to secure the victims’ freedom were ongoing.
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