The Building Collapse Prevention Guild has said that Nigeria witnessed 1,595 deaths in 640 reported incidents of building collapse between October 1974 and January 9, 2025.

According to the Guide, the first recorded building collapse in Nigeria occurred in October 1974 in Oyo State, where a multi-story building collapsed due to excessive loading, killing 27 people.

It stated, “Lagos State has the highest number of recorded building collapses in Nigeria, accounting for 55.15 per cent of all incidents. Abuja comes in second with 4.37 per cent, followed by Anambra with 4.06 per cent, Oyo with 3.44 per cent, and Kano with 3.28 per cent. Some states, such as Taraba, Bayelsa, Gombe, and Yobe, had their first recorded building collapse in 2022. On the other hand, states like Zamfara, Taraba, Yobe, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Sokoto, Gombe, Katsina, and Kebbi have only had one recorded building collapse.

“Interestingly, there were no recorded building collapses in 1971, 1975, and 1981. However, in 2020, despite the COVID-19 lockdown, there were 45 recorded building collapses, with Lagos accounting for 18 (40 per cent) of them. The highest number of building collapses occurred in 2022, with 62 incidents nationwide, and Lagos accounting for 20 (32 per cent) of them. In 2023, there were 52 recorded building collapses, with Lagos accounting for 17 (33%) of them. In 2024, 47 building collapses were recorded across 14 states, with Lagos having the highest number at 13.

https://punchng.com/building-collapse-deaths-rise-to-1595-report/