Rescue workers at the site of the collapsed 21 storey building on Gerrard Road in the Ikoyi area of Lagos have recovered the remains of the developer Mr. Femi Osibona and his US-based Nigerian businessman, Mr. Wale Bob-Oseni from the rubble.
Osibona was managing director, Fourscore Heights Limited.
The recovery of Osibona’s remains has laid to rest issue of his whereabouts.
It was gathered that Bob-Oseni, a real-estate agent, was on his way back to the US on Monday when he got a call from Osibona to check out the project.
Both friends were subsequently trapped when the building caved in.
The development has so far brought the death toll to 33.
Meanwhile, families of trapped artisans have documented 19 names on the register of missing persons opened at the collapsed building site.
During his visit to the site, the state governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the number of persons trapped in the collapsed building remained unclear.
“(On) Wednesday, we opened a register for people that have missing persons or loved ones whom they believed must have been at the site before the collapse.
“As I speak here, it is only 19 names of missing persons that have been registered. Some of them have pictures, others do not.
“This list would help us to get information on manifest of those at the site,” he said.
There were three structures under construction.
Sanwo-Olu said structural integrity tests will begin on the two other structures.
He reiterated the need for rescue workers to be safe on site, saying the structural integrity of the other buildings must be ascertained.
The governor said he visited the six survivors on admission at the Lagos Island General Hospital.
He disclosed that one of them was transferred to the Lagos State University Teaching (LASUTH) in Ikeja, for further treatment, “while the remaining five are in good spirits.”
He added: “I have been to the Island General Hospital to encourage the living. I listened to their experiences on how God saved their lives. Life is something we all need to cherish because we can lose it at the shortest possible time.
“Six of them, but one was moved this morning to LASUTH for additional investigative treatment because of the specialist healthcare we have there.”
Speaking on why families had been unable to identify the corpses of their loved ones, Sanwo-Olu said autopsies had not been concluded.
“The coroner inquest takes their turn and the certification by the pathologists are currently going on.
We’re pushing them to ensure they can work very quickly to make if not all the bodies but some of the bodies ready by tomorrow (today, Friday).
“That is the deadline we have pushed them to so families can come and look and identify the bodies and at the appropriate time take their body away,” he added.
He said the independent panel that would investigate the collapse had been officially inaugurated and given a seal of office.
“They have all the powers in case they want to summon, ask and engage anybody whatsoever in the course of their investigation to be able to give a thorough, objective and transparent advice and recommendations coming out from the investigation panel and they have 30 days turnaround to do their work because of the importance and urgency,” he added.
