Two children were rescued on Thursday after a two-storey residential building collapsed in Ilorin, prompting emergency response efforts and renewed warnings from authorities over structural safety in residential areas.
The incident occurred around 9:10 a.m. on Ajegunle Street, off Sabo-Line in the Isale area of the city, involving a six-flat residential building.
According to a statement by the spokesperson of the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, two children identified as Ahmad (8) and Hussainat (10) were initially trapped under the debris but were rescued before firefighters arrived and taken to a nearby hospital.
Firefighters who arrived at the scene later carried out salvage operations, recovering essential belongings such as clothes, electronics, food items, and important documents from accessible parts of the collapsed structure.
Following an on-site assessment, the fire service raised concerns about the safety of nearby buildings and recommended immediate preventive measures. The agency advised the Disaster Management Department of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to seal off the collapsed structure and issue a seven-day evacuation ultimatum to occupants of a neighbouring building found to be structurally unsafe.
The NSCDC Disaster Management unit subsequently enforced the directive by sealing the affected building and evacuating residents from the adjacent structure.
Authorities also disclosed that prior warnings had been issued to the caretaker about the deteriorating condition of the building before the collapse occurred.
The Director of the fire service, Alabi Muhammed, who supervised operations at the scene, urged residents and property owners to carry out regular structural integrity checks and promptly address visible defects such as cracks and weakening foundations to prevent avoidable tragedies.
