
Although no casualty was recorded, eyewitness say the building which is an extension of a hotel still under construction, the cause of the collapse could not be ascertained but people residing around the area have blamed the collapse on the poor foundation.
Reacting to the unfortunate developments, the General Manager, Owerri Capital Development Authority OCDA, Dr. Chika Nnajiofor said the developers of the property never sought for building approval before embarking on the project.
She urged the would-be developers and builders in the state to get approval from the OCDA and other appropriate authority before embarking on such project.
She frowned at the situation where land developers and prospective landlords will come to OCDA and submit their building plans, thereafter abscond. She stressed that issuance of receipts does not signify building permits.
Dr Nnajiofor called on the general public to be wary of fraudster masquerading as OCDA workers and a closer collaboration between all the stakeholders to ensure that building collapse does not occur again.
Before now, there have been several cases of building collapse across the country which has claimed many lives and properties worth billions of naira.
The Nigerian Society of Engineers NSE blamed these unfortunate developments on the quacks who according to the body were not qualified to practice as engineers or developers.