A three-storey commercial building in Wuse Zone 4, Abuja, collapsed on Monday evening, just hours after the FCT Administration’s Development Control Department reportedly sealed the structure and ordered occupants to leave.
The collapse prompted an immediate rescue operation involving emergency responders, including FCT Fire Service personnel.
The FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD), through its Head of Public Affairs, Nkechi Isa, said it received a distress call at about 7:20 pm and quickly deployed personnel to the scene.
FEMD said eyewitnesses initially reported no casualties, but search-and-rescue efforts were still underway as responders assessed the site. An excavator was also expected to arrive to help clear the rubble and improve the search.
Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Media, confirmed that FCT Fire Service personnel were at the scene, with three ambulances stationed nearby.
He also said Development Control had sealed the building earlier on Monday and ordered occupants to vacate before it collapsed.
The cause of the collapse and whether anyone was trapped or injured remained unclear.
FEMD urged the public to stay calm and avoid the area to give emergency and security personnel free access. Further details will be released as they emerge.
