Fubara Seals Off Collapsed Building Site, Orders Full Investigation

Rivers State governor Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has ordered the site of a five‑storey building that collapsed on Wednesday sealed off while government investigators determine the cause. The collapse killed one person and injured several others.

Fubara visited the scene yesterday to assess the situation. He said the site will remain “completely sealed off” until authorities establish the cause of the incident.

The governor was accompanied by the commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Sir Amairigha Edward‑Hart, and the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Special Duties, Dabite Sokari‑George.

Fubara described the collapse as unfortunate and said preliminary inquiries indicate the developer repeatedly refused state inspections and failed to comply with building regulations.

He said he did not visit the site the previous day because he was awaiting a formal briefing from the relevant government agency.

According to the commissioner’s report, the project is under the jurisdiction of the Federal Housing Authority, not the state, and inspectors visited the site several times during construction but were denied access by the developer.

“This is no longer about interference but about a life lost and the suffering of the deceased’s family,” Fubara said. He extended condolences to the victims’ families and said the tragedy could have been avoided if the developer had followed 21st‑century engineering and construction standards.

“I find it regrettable that this happened in an age of advanced technology and engineering. It is hard to understand how an engineer would allow a project with such faults to proceed,” he said.

“We will make sure this place is completely sealed off until we get to the root cause of this incident,” the governor added.