In the early hours of Saturday, a partially completed three-storey building collapsed in Umuahia, Abia State, leaving a nursing mother and her five-month-old baby injured.
The incident happened around 3 a.m. at the Federal Low Cost Housing Estate in Ohobo Afara, along Olokoro Road. The structure fell onto a nearby bungalow occupied by a family of seven. While the mother and her baby sustained injuries, the other five family members managed to escape unharmed.
Residents of the area reported hearing a loud crash and confirmed that the uncompleted structure had shown visible signs of structural distress before the collapse. One resident stated that, although some reinforcement had been attempted in the past, no immediate warning was visible before the building gave way.
A security guard at the site, Mr. Babayu Adamu, explained that the collapsed building had already been roofed and was awaiting interior work. He added that the instability had been a concern for some time.
Following the collapse, officials from the Umuahia Capital Development Authority (UCDA) visited the scene and sealed off the affected property. The General Manager of the UCDA, Mr. Kingsley Agomoh, confirmed that an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the collapse. He also stated that necessary legal action would be taken against the property owner if any violation is uncovered.
Agomoh expressed relief that the injured mother and her child are receiving medical attention and noted that structural assessments will be carried out on two other nearby three-storey buildings, which have also shown signs of weakness.
