Ogba School Collapses Minutes After Evacuation, Students and Teachers Escape Unharmed
Students and staff of Yemco Nursery, Primary and Comprehensive College in Ogba, Lagos, narrowly avoided a tragedy on Monday when the four-storey building housing the school collapsed shortly after it was evacuated. The incident occurred around midday at 11 Adudatu Street, behind County Hospital in the Aguda area. Witnesses said the evacuation happened just minutes before the structure gave way, preventing what could have been a catastrophic loss of life. Residents reported that concerns had been raised earlier when wooden planks fell from the roof, causing alarm in the neighbourhood. One resident said an elderly man alerted the school authorities about the building’s instability, prompting the quick evacuation of students and teachers. “It was just about three minutes after the students were evacuated that the building collapsed,” the witness added. Another local, Taiwo Ridwan, described the warning signs leading up to the collapse. “The house started cracking little by little. The window frames had already fallen apart. Soon after, the cement began peeling off. Not long after that, the building just sank,” he said. Officials from the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service quickly secured the scene and restricted access to the area. A portion of the property, used for residential purposes, remained standing beside the collapsed structure. No injuries or fatalities have been reported. The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service is yet to issue an official statement, and attempts to reach the service’s director of public affairs, Margaret Adeseye, were unsuccessful.
