The Lagos State Government says it will demolish every structure marked as distressed around the three-storey building that collapsed at Alakija, and prosecute the owner of the failed property.

Speaking during an inspection of the site, Commissioner for Information and Strategy Gbenga Omotoso, representing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said 27 people were pulled out alive while nine died, and praised emergency responders for an overnight search and rescue operation.

Omotoso said the governor was saddened by the incident and had sent his condolences, adding that the tragedy should not have happened. He said the building had been marked structurally distressed and occupants told to leave, but the warning was ignored, and that other buildings flagged as unsafe in the area would be pulled down to prevent further deaths.

He said anyone found to have breached building regulations or obstructed enforcement would face legal action, and condemned the construction of buildings beneath high-tension power lines as dangerous and unacceptable. He added that the cause of the collapse was under investigation and that survivors were being treated in hospitals. Residents were urged to comply with safety directives and those living around the scene advised to relocate at once. LASEMA Permanent Secretary Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu commended the first responders and security personnel who worked to evacuate survivors