Panic gripped residents of Oyingbo area in Lagos Mainland on Monday as a two-storey building collapsed in the early hours, leaving many occupants feared trapped under the rubble.

The incident occurred on Cote Street, where the building gave way suddenly, trapping an unknown number of residents inside. Emergency responders from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), police, and Lagos State Fire Service rushed to the scene and are currently conducting intense search and rescue operations.

According to officials, at least 15 persons have so far been rescued with varying degrees of injuries and rushed to nearby hospitals, including the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Meta, and the General Hospital, Odan, on Lagos Island. However, many more are still feared trapped as rescue efforts continue.

“This is an ongoing rescue involving a two-storey building previously identified as distressed before collapsing on its occupants,” an official statement noted.

Eyewitnesses described hearing a loud crash in the early morning, followed by screams from those inside the structure. Search teams are using heavy equipment to clear debris while carefully looking for survivors.

Lagos has a history of building collapses, often attributed to substandard construction, poor enforcement of building regulations, and aging structures. Authorities have promised a thorough investigation into the cause of this latest incident.

Residents in the area have been urged to stay away from the site to allow emergency workers unimpeded access as operations remain active. Updates on the number of trapped individuals and possible casualties are expected as rescue efforts progress.

Tragedy struck on Wednesday during a street campaign procession organised by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in support of its governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, ahead of the August 15 Osun governorship election.

One person, identified as AbdulRasaq Ahmed, was killed while seven others sustained injuries when a truck rammed into the campaigners in the Oke Gada area of Ede.

According to Remi Omowaiye, Chairman of the Media and Publicity Committee of the Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji Campaign Committee, the victims were part of a mobilisation effort when the accident occurred.

“One person was killed in the accident. Seven others were injured, but one out of the seven was critically injured,” Omowaiye said. The injured are receiving treatment at private hospitals in Ofatedo and Ede.

Eyewitnesses reported that the truck appeared to lose control before ploughing into the procession. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.

The APC has expressed condolences to the family of the deceased and wished the injured a speedy recovery as the party continues its campaign activities in the state.

Another batch of over 100 Nigerians stranded in South Africa following the renewed xenophobic attacks has departed the country aboard a special flight arranged by the Federal Government.The departure is in continuation of the evacuation exercise conducted by the Federal Government.

The latest batch of returnees, comprising adult men and women, children and minors, departed South Africa yesterday around 3:45 pm (South African time) and arrived Nigeria later in the night (Wednesday) around 9pm, where government officials received them.

The returnees who departed from the O. R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

Before departure, the passports and phones of the returnees were collected from them, but a consular officer from the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa, who addressed the returnees, promised that their telephones would be returned to them immediately the aircraft was airborne.

According to him, the phones were collected from them to prevent disruption of the special flight.

The evacuation was facilitated through a special South African Airways (SAA) Airbus A330-300 chartered flight by the Federal Government to bring the willing Nigerians home safely.