No fewer than 16 persons have been rescued alive, while two others were recovered dead following the collapse of a two-storey residential building in the Satellite Town area of Lagos State.

The latest update was provided by the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, LSFRS, on Thursday as emergency responders continued search and rescue operations at the scene of the incident.

DAILY POST had earlier reported that the agency received a distress call at about 11:37 a.m. concerning the building collapse on Old Ojo Road, by Alakija Bus Stop, off the Lagos-Badagry Expressway in Satellite Town, Lagos.

According to the agency, emergency responders from the Ijegun-Egba Fire Station were immediately mobilised to the scene, arriving at about 11:49 a.m. to commence rescue efforts.

The collapsed structure was identified as a residential two-storey building occupied by several residents at the time of the incident.

In an earlier update, the Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that 10 victims had been rescued alive from the debris with varying degrees of injuries and handed over to medical personnel for treatment.

However, the agency disclosed in its latest update that six additional victims had been successfully rescued from the rubble, bringing the total number of survivors to 16.

The agency also confirmed that two persons were recovered dead from the collapsed building.

“Rescue efforts are still ongoing, and six additional victims have been successfully rescued from the debris bringing the number to 16.

“Regrettably, two persons have been recovered dead,” the statement said.

The Fire and Rescue Service noted that emergency responders remain at the site, working to ensure that all affected persons are accounted for and that the area is secured.

“Search and rescue operations remain ongoing as emergency responders continue efforts to locate, extricate, and evacuate any persons who may still be trapped beneath the debris,” the statement added.

The rescue operation is being coordinated by multiple emergency and security agencies, including the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Federal Fire Service, Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Navy, Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, LNSC, and the Nigerian Red Cross Society.

Authorities said rescue operations remain ongoing, adding that further updates would be provided as efforts continue at the scene.

The Lagos Police Command says its investigation has revealed that the explosion in the Mushin area of the state was caused by the failure of a pressurised mechanical component and not an Improvised Explosive Device, IED, or any other criminal act.

The command, in a statement on Thursday, ruled out terrorism, sabotage and the use of explosives.

According to the police, forensic and technical findings revealed no traces of explosive materials, detonators, initiation systems, explosive residues or blast characteristics associated with explosive attacks.

“The investigation has conclusively established that the incident was not caused by an Improvised Explosive Device, IED, terrorist activity, sabotage, or any form of criminal use of explosives.

“Technical findings revealed no traces of explosive materials, detonators, initiation systems, explosive residues, or blast characteristics ordinarily associated with explosive attacks,” the police said.

It added the incident resulted from the catastrophic failure of a pressurised mechanical component located outside the vehicle.

An Ekiti State High Court has sentenced two men to death by hanging after finding them guilty of kidnapping a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Omoboade Adesina.

The convicts, Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar, were prosecuted following their arrest by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) over the abduction, which occurred on April 22, 2022.

Delivering judgment, the Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, held that the prosecution had proved its case against Ibrahim and Abdullahi Abubakar beyond reasonable doubt.

Justice Ogunmoye subsequently sentenced the two men to death by hanging.

The judge commended the prosecution team of the DSS for its diligence in investigating and prosecuting the case.

He identified the identification parade conducted by the DSS and the analysis of call data records as crucial pieces of evidence that assisted the court in reaching its decision.

“The prosecution successfully established the guilt of the first and second defendants beyond reasonable doubt,” the judge held.

However, the court discharged and acquitted the third defendant, Usman Abubakar, after ruling that the prosecution failed to prove his involvement in the offence.

The conviction is the latest in a series of successful prosecutions secured by the DSS in cases involving kidnapping, terrorism, and other related offences across the country.

The agency recently secured convictions in separate cases involving terrorism, cross-border arms trafficking, and kidnapping in Sokoto and Kogi states.