In order to avert imminent deaths and casualties, two four storey buildings have been marked for demolition at Amobi street in Onitsha South local government area.
One of the buildings had earlier had it’s decked potions collapse following poor and use of sub standard materials for the project.
The two buildings which are located about one foot close to each other are currently witnessing cracked pillars and weak decking a development that led to the order for demolition.
About a month ago the two buildings had been marked for demolition but the owners allegedly rubbed of the demolition marks while heavy business activities are going on at the ground floor of those buildings.
It was equally observed that the contractors had already constructed another set of slabs preparatory for the decking of the fifth floor despite the demolition order and the two contractors on getting the wind that the local government council would be visiting the area fled to an unknown destinations.
Speaking during the inspection of the site the Chairman of Onitsha South local government area Chief Emeka Joseph Orji expressed worries that despite the order by government about a month ago , people chose to risk their lives doing business under a death trap.
“The two buildings must go down in the next two days and that is the order and remember that Gov Charles Soludo had directed that all building plans must personally get his approval before construction but these two buildings do not have the approval of the governor”
“We must do this to save the lives of our people and also avert possible deaths and casualties that has always been the results of collapsed buildings ”
“Look at the materials that they are using and you all saw that the back of the building where the two storey decking has already collapsed and we used the tape to block the entrance of the two buildings but they removed it and cleaned up the marks for demolition ” he said.
The two shops which have over 800 shops which have been paid for by traders before the completion of the project is said to have been sold to successive landlords before they were marked for demolition.
Recall that in the past three months three buildings had collapsed in Onitsha killing a total of eight persons at the site and the state government had to clear the debris and take over the lands in question.
