By Kate Halim
Francis Olambo, an artisan who miraculously escaped death in the November 1 collapse of a 21-storey building in Ikoyi Lagos, said he was saw several dead bodies while he was trapped under the rubble with dozens of other workers.
Olambo said he was brought from Cotonou to work with other people on the collapsed building in Ikoyi.
He is one of the many people in hospital receiving treatment after they were rescued from the wreckage of the collapsed building. Wincing in pain but thankful that he is alive, Olambo who communicated with Saturday Sun reporter in pidgin English, said he was sad that he lost some friends.
Olambo, who said he has a wife and two children waiting for him back in Cotonou, stated that he needed to get back to his family as soon as possible, having been working and sleeping in the building for months.
“I was at the back of the building eating with some of the workers with whom I had become friends because we spent a lot of time together. When the building collapsed, I was trapped but I kept hoping for the best,” Olambo added.
The man said he saw several dead bodies around him while he was trapped in the rubble. He said he tried as much as possible not to move too much because a large brick fell on his back. He’s receiving treatment and hopes to leave the hospital soon.
According to Olambo, he heard a woman crying and praying for God to help her. He said he felt bad when he didn’t hear her voice anymore. He tried calling out to her but didn’t get any response. He said that when he was rescued and felt a breeze on his face, he thanked God for keeping him alive.
Jeremiah Samson, one of the survivors, says he’s stranded at the hospital because he’s unable to pay his hospital bills.
According to Samson, none of his family members has called him back or visited him at the Falomo Police Hospital where he is currently receiving treatment.
Samson who has a bandage on his head told Saturday Sun that he has an aged mother and an elder sister. He said the sister had not called him back after he called her to inform her that he was receiving treatment after surviving a building collapse.
Samson said: “My father is late and my mother is aged. She had only my sister and I. I don’t want to bother my mother about my present predicament because I don’t want her to worry. She has been battling some health problems.”
The young man in his twenties revealed that he was brought from Akwa Ibom State by his boss who unfortunately perished when the building collapsed in Ikoyi. He said that he was grateful to get the job because it meant having little money to keep body and soul together.
Looking downcast and wearing a sad demeanour, Samson said he was grateful sleeping at the collapsed building from Monday to Saturday due to work and then sleeping over at his boss’ house on Sundays.
Recalling how he escaped with a head injury when the massive structure collapsed, Samson attributed it to luck and God’s grace. He said he felt quite bad for his boss who lost his life and his family who are now mourning their breadwinner.
“My boss sent me to buy something downstairs. After buying the stuff, my phone rang. I didn’t want to answer the phone in the building so I stepped away from the building to talk to the person. I was still talking on the phone when I heard a loud noise. Something hit my head and I fell,” he said.
Samson said he was bleeding heavily as he couldn’t tell what hit him. Even though he wasn’t in the building, he was trapped with over 40 other people. He said he started crying when the building he was working in reduced to rubble. He added that he prayed fervently for help to come until he was rescued.
A hospital staff who spoke under anonymity told Saturday Sun that Samson and six other people were brought to the hospital after the building collapsed in Ikoyi. He said the young man was still being detained there because he couldn’t pay his hospital bill of N29,600.
According to her, some people were taken to the Lagos Island General Hospital in Marina while others who had fractures were taken to The Orthopaedic Hospital at Igbobi. She stated that Samson had been surviving on the generosity of other patients and some hospital staff who give him money to feed.
Another survivor, Ajiboye Habib is lucky to be alive after he was rescued days after the building collapsed. Habib, who is at the Lagos Island General Hospital, Marina told Saturday Sun that he wouldn’t forget this traumatic experience all his life. He added that his family had been supportive since the incident happened.
According to Habib, he started working at the site three months ago. He added that one of his friends who started work with him on the same day died when the building collapsed.
“I don’t have much to say. I will be discharged today and as you can see, some of my family members are here with me. I am just happy to be alive. God helped me, I am not better than those who died. Help me thank God,” he said.
Habib said when he heard voices of the rescue team around him, he mustered all his strength and called for help. He noted that it took a while for the bricks that fell on him to be moved and he was brought out alive to meet jubilation from the people around.
When Saturday Sun visited the site of the collapsed building on Wednesday November 10, the entire place teemed with many police officers and other security agents as well as a high number of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) officials who were working together to clear the debris of the collapsed building.