Nigeria’s federal capital territory minister, Nyesom Wike, has ordered a full investigation into a building collapse in Abuja that killed five people at the weekend, sealed off the site, and confirmed that an engineer linked to the project has been arrested.
Wike visited the scene on Monday in Durumi 3, near Gudu Market in the Abuja Municipal Area Council, where a three-storey building under construction came down on Saturday morning. He described the disaster as “very pathetic” and made clear that the pursuit of those responsible was already under way.
“One of the engineers has been arrested already,” he told journalists at the scene. “From there, we will get to the developer, and he or she will be arrested.”
The minister confirmed that the Department of Development Control had sealed off the property and that the FCT Administration would establish a formal panel to examine how the structure failed and whether building regulations had been followed. He said preliminary work by development control officials was already proceeding alongside preparations for the wider inquiry.
Wike also issued a pointed warning to developers across the capital against obstructing regulatory oversight, saying such resistance typically bred misinformation and public misunderstanding of enforcement actions.
On the question of what may have caused the collapse, the minister said the investigation would scrutinise whether proper soil testing had been conducted, whether the ground was certified to bear the load of multiple floors, and whether approved materials had been used throughout construction.
“In the construction of buildings, we must know the quality. What materials are they using? Are they doing the soil test? Can it allow for two floors or three floors? All these are very key,” he said.
Closing on a sombre note, Wike framed the disaster in terms of the state’s most fundamental obligation. “How can you buy back these lives? They are gone. That is the responsibility of government: to protect life and property,” he said.
