MANY ESCAPES DEATH AS A POLICE QUATER IN LAGOS COLASPED

A section of a 2-Storey building at the  Pedro Police Barracks, Bariga, Lagos, collapsed  Monday  night trapping over 40 families of serving policemen under the rubble.
Report has it that the building with about 27 official flats and 10 attachment collapsed at about 9.OO pm trapping most of its occupants, including  women  and  children.

Some of the lucky escapees were said to had finished watching the World Cup match between Nigerian and France and were discussing in groups about the outcome of the match that sent the Super Eagles parking when the house collapsed with a loud noise.
Though, no life was lost,, but an eye witness account has it that a yet to be ascertained number of persons sustained various degree of injuries.
The witness said the injured persons were rushed to  undisclosed hospitals in the area and that they were treated and discharged immediately.
As at noon yesterday about 30 families who were rescued from under the roubles of the collapsed house have been evacuated by a combined team of officials. Of  the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and that of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) who arrived the scene around 8.00am yesterday.
The Eyewitness attributed the cause to the dilapidated nature of the Barracks which the occupants have been trying to manage for a very long time.
The affected house identified as block 9, Pedro , was said to be one of the busiest blocks in the barracks as all commercial activities is concentrated there,
As at press time Property  of victims still littered the place and  some of the victims have started relocating their families to homes of relations, while others who could not were also seen hanging around the barracks dejected..
One of the victims who simply identified himself as Inspector Francis alleged that occupants of the 27 flats last year contributed the sum of N15,000 each to carry out repair work on the house.
“Some time last year when we discovered huge cracks on the walls of the building we decided to task ourselves N15,000 each to carry out repair work on the building.
“The huge cracks on the walls exposed the crime perpetrated by the builders because the building has no single iron rod. After we gathered the money we realised about N300,000. With which we carried out the first major repair work since the barracks was constructed so many years ago” he added.
The aggrieved policeman further alleged that all efforts made at attracting the attention of the police authority in the past were not successful.
“No most of our property have been destroyed by the rain which started around 3.000am yesterday. Some of those affected have started relocating their children and some of the property.
The NEMA Public Relations Officer (PRO) in the South West, Ibrahim Farinloye who confirmed the incident on phone said that no life was lost and nobody sustained any injury, contrary to the claims of some of the victims.
He said that the agency received the information about the incident around 9.30pm on Monday, and  they quickly deployed emergency crew to the place as soon as the message was intercepted.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ngozi Braide who also confirmed the incident said that Police Authority in the State have deployed men from the Logistic department to the place Barracks
. She said a part of the building fell and no life was lost..