Building collapse as Lekki gardens boss gets arrested

Richard Nyong, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Lekki Gardens, the construction company handling the collapsed five-storey building under construction on Kushenla Road, Ikate Elegushi, Lekki, has been detained at Panti Police Station, Lagos. Lagos Police Public Relations Officer,Mrs. Dolapo Badmos, on Thursday said Nyong will be charged to court once investigations have been completed. On Wednesday, Governor Ambode had ordered all directors of Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited to submit themselves to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, within the next twenty four hours or face immediate arrest.

Nyong, we learnt, complied with the directive and reported himself to the office of the Commissioner of Police in company of his lawyer, Mr. Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and was detained after interrogation. Lagos State Government, in the wake of the building collapse, stated that preliminary reports and investigation, revealed that the collapsed building was served contravention notice for exceeding the approved floors and thereafter sealed by the Lagos State Building Control Agency.

The government also discovered that in a brazen act of defiance and impunity, the owners of the building, Messrs Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited, the promoters of Lekki Gardens, criminally un sealed the property and continued building beyond the approved floors until the unfortunate incident of Tuesday which has led to the death of over 30 persons. Governor Ambode, who is said to be irked at the spate of building collapse in the state, had vowed to wield the big stick so as to put a stop to the disturbing trend.