2 arrested, as Ebonyi govt. vows to clampdown on lawmaker, Ezeali for indulging in illegal building

Uchenna Okeh, Abakaliki 

Ebonyi State government through the ministry of capital city and urban development on Tuesday, said it has arrested two persons who are overseeing the collapsed building located beside the federal teaching hospital Abakaliki, FETHA 1.

The Nations News Nigeria reports that 

the building which belonged to the member of the state House of Assembly, Ukie Ezeali, representing Afikpo North East, collapsed around afternoon on Tuesday.

Speaking to newsmen at the scene of the incident, the commissioner for capital city and urban development, Mr. Sunday Inyima blamed the lawmaker, Ezeali for indulging in illegal building. 

According to him: “what happened here is very unfortunate, we have a building collapse at the early hours of this afternoon. I was called on where I’m, and I mobilize my men and we saw that the building actually collapsed.

“We have been able to rescue one person, because we have two persons within the building that collapsed. One person is still being trapped. And we are doing everything possible to ensure that we rescue him alive 

“Originally, this is an illegal structure, because the owner of the building came to our ministry and the HOD on works told that him that this place is not buildable. And the drawing he gave was not approved, but because this place is inside the premises of FETHA 1, and anytime you are passing here, the monitoring team may not observed that building is going on here.

“We expected that as an honorable member of the state house of assembly, he should have taken caution and restricted himself from going ahead with this structure, but he defiled our instructions.

“We have arrested two persons who are overseeing the site for him. And I have called the honourable member to report himself to the police” he stated.

In a swift reaction, the commissioner for works and transportation, Stanley lebechi Mbam, who equally spoke to newsmen at the scene, described the building collapse as a huge embarrassment to Ebonyi State government.

He however, warned stakeholders, especially those that are building houses to shun patronizing quacks in the State, adding that the collapse of this building may be as a result of patronizing quacks.

Also, the chairman of Ebonyi State Engineering regulation monitoring of the council for regulation of Engineering Nigeria, Eni Enyinnaya, expressed sadness over the building collapse in the state.

He said that the collapse is a huge economic loss to the owner, and equally warned citizens in the state to refrain from patronizing quacks to avert repeat of this incident.