Lagos School Building Collapse: Students Recount Narrow Escape

Students of a primary and comprehensive college in the Ogba area of Lagos have shared their terrifying experience after a section of a classroom block collapsed within the school premises on Monday.

The incident occurred around 11 a.m., sending panic across the school as students and teachers rushed for safety when the structure suddenly came down.

Fortunately, no casualties or injuries were recorded. However, the collapse caused confusion within the school compound as students hurriedly fled the area.

The affected building is located along Adudatu Street, behind County Hospital in the Aguda area of Ogba.

Officials of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service said the incident happened during a controlled demolition exercise on the already distressed building. Despite this explanation, some eyewitnesses described the moment as chaotic, with students screaming and running out of the premises.

A fire service official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, said the students had been evacuated from the building before the demolition began.

Some students, however, said they heard a loud cracking sound before the structure collapsed.

One of the students, Emmanuel, said he was in class when he suddenly heard the alarming sound.

“I was in class when I heard a loud cracking sound. The next thing we saw was dust everywhere. We were out for lunch when it happened and I ran quickly into another classroom block,” he said.

Another student, 14-year-old Blessing, said the collapse caused thick dust to fill the air, heightening panic among students.

“I thought the collapse might affect other classrooms, so I ran out of the school compound as fast as I could,” she said.

The school population is estimated to be between 600 and 800 students.

Following the incident, members of the state emergency response team secured the premises and restricted access to the affected area.

Residents in the neighbourhood said concerns had previously been raised about the condition of the building after parts of its roof reportedly began to fall off.

Shakiru Amodu of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that the building had earlier shown signs of structural distress and was marked for demolition.

According to him, all students had been evacuated before the demolition process began, which prevented casualties.

“The affected building had earlier shown signs of distress and was marked for demolition. All the students had been evacuated before the exercise began, so no one was injured and no life was lost,” Amodu said.

He added that the agency later secured the scene and restricted movement around the area.