Ikoyi collapse: Contractor hid vital information, COREN tells inquest

The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria on Friday submitted a report on its investigation into the collapse of a 21-storey building on Gerard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

The council’s Head of Lagos Liaison Office, Mr Tomide Akinnawo, submitted the report while testifying at the inquest.

The coroner, Mr Oyetade Komolafe, who commended the report, described it as detailed and requested that additional two copies should be submitted to the inquest.

The November 1, 2021 incident left about 50 persons, including the Managing Director of Fourscore Heights, Mr Femi Osibona, dead.

Akinnawo told the coroner during proceedings that the COREN investigative panel noticed that the project board mounted at the site of the collapsed building hid vital information about the construction.

“The contractor did not give an address and phone number. It is inappropriate, the project board hid a lot of sensitive and important information,” he was quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria as saying on Friday.

The engineer said that it was the responsibility of supervisory government agencies to point out the breach when they visited the site.

 

He further said the contractor or the client needed to have been sanctioned by the state development control bodies because information on the project board was not detailed.

The witness said that the investigative panel was not granted access to the site until the coroner ordered the access.

On whether the landmass of the site was large enough to accommodate the four structures, Akinnawo said the contractor of the project breached town planning regulations, adding that the entrance to the site was also not appropriate for the magnitude of the structures.

Under cross-examination by counsel for Beyond Design Ltd., Mr Oluwamayokun David, Akinnawo said he first heard of Fourscore Heights after the building collapsed, adding that COREN was unable to find employees of the company to interview during the investigation.

The inquest was adjourned till April 29 for the continuation of hearing.