Port Harcourt Building Collapse Injures Four as Rivers Orders Residents to Vacate 60-Year-Old Structure

Four persons were injured on Friday night when part of a two-storey building collapsed at No. 18 Club Road in the Old Port Harcourt Township, Rivers State, prompting the state government to order occupants to vacate the premises immediately.

The incident occurred at about 7 p.m. when the parapet on the second floor of the building, believed to be over 60 years old, broke away and crashed onto the ground floor where people were gathered at a bar.

An eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the sudden collapse. “People were seated at the bar on the ground floor, drinking and having fun, when suddenly the parapet of the building pulled off and came crashing down,” the witness said.

“There was confusion because nobody expected that sort of thing. About three or four persons were injured, especially a lady who sustained injuries to parts of her head and one of her ears”.

No death was recorded in the incident.

The witness, who said he was over 50 years old and had known the building since childhood, questioned whether it had ever been renovated. “I grew up to know this building. It is over 60 years old, and you can see that the structure is getting weak,” he said.

Following the collapse, the Rivers State Commissioner for Urban Development and Physical Planning, Amairigha Edward Hart, visited the scene on Saturday and ordered occupants to vacate the building over safety concerns.

The ministry’s Press Secretary, Isabella Ibim, confirmed the directive. “The Commissioner visited the place on Saturday and asked the occupants to vacate the building. He also advised people against living in such old buildings because they pose a grave danger to lives,” Ibim said.

Ibim added that the commissioner was relieved no life was lost and observed that only part of the structure had fallen. She noted the ministry had been conducting sensitisation campaigns and identifying old buildings requiring renovation in Mile 1, Mile 2 and Mile 3 areas of Diobu, Borikiri and other parts of the state.

The affected building was cordoned off and marked with red tape on Saturday, while occupants were directed to vacate.

A visit to the scene on Sunday showed the debris had been cleared, though visible signs of the collapse remained.

The Rivers State Police Command spokesperson, Blessing Agabe, confirmed the incident and the number of injured persons, saying an investigation had been launched.

“Four persons were injured and rushed to the hospital. Meanwhile, the place has been cordoned off, and an investigation is ongoing,” Agabe said.

The commissioner disclosed that the ministry had begun a proactive audit of old buildings, starting from Diobu and spreading to other parts of Port Harcourt. The exercise aims to identify structures that have outlived their usefulness and recommend restoration where buildings are not totally failed.

Officials of the ministry were joined at the site by teams from the National Emergency Management Agency, Federal Fire Service, Nigerian Society of Engineers, and the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital Emergency Service Unit.

Further structural investigations will be conducted within the week to decide whether the building will be demolished or recommended for major restoration.