On Monday morning in Lagos, emergency personnel rescued nine women who were trapped in a building that was sinking due to early morning rainfall.
After the prolonged downpour that lasted for more than four hours, it was reported that the building at 47 Akinwunmi Street, North Estate Mende, Maryland, had flooded.
It was learned that the owner used a ladder to flee after the structure started to collapse due to the flood, leaving the weak women behind.
Ibrahim Farinloye, the NEMA’s Lagos Coordinator, claims that the landlord reappeared some hours later and was then turned over to the police for questioning.
He said that NEMA arrived on the scene to rescue the victim after receiving a distress alarm on the structure.
Farinloye said: “The torrential rainfall which lasted about four hours in the early hours of the day flooded lots of communities in Lagos.
“NEMA advance team’s close observations called for more reinforcement of personnel. It was discovered that the landlord had used ladder to escape.
“He however, failed to contact emergency responders. It was someone from the office of one of the trapped victims that called NEMA.
“All trapped women have been successfully rescued. The landlord just returned to the scene and he has been handed over to the police for leaving the vulnerable ladies.
“The agencies now are LASEMA, State Fire Service and Police Disaster Management Unit,” he stated.
The incident was confirmed by Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, permanent secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), who also noted that there were no reported fatalities or injuries.
