The Lagos State Building Control Agency on Friday told a coroner sitting in Ikeja that its officials were denied access to the site of the ill-fated 21-storey building under construction on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, which collapsed on November 1 last year.
LASBCA’s Assistant Director, Inspectorate of Quality Control, Mrs Oluseun Randle, told the coroner that the Managing Director of Fourscore Heights Ltd, the late Femi Osibona, who owned the ill-fated building, threatened to unleash vicious dogs on LASBCA officials who visited to inspect the project.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Randle told the coroner that she was the officer overseeing Eti-Osa, Victoria, Island, Surulere, Yaba, Lagos Mainland and Ikoyi, adding that one of LASBCA’s main mandates was to identify non-conforming buildings and mark them for removal.
While being cross-examined by counsel for Prowess Engineering Nigeria Ltd, Mr Ola Adeosun, Randle said, “An officer first visited on February 13, 2019. He peered through a small opening in the gate and observed piling equipment.
“He moved closer to observe the piling operation and to gain access to the premises. The security operatives manning the premises did not allow him entry.
“He was only asked to wait outside of the gate for the developer (Osibona). After some minutes, the developer came and the officer told him he wanted to serve a notice.
“He (Osibona) told him that he could not go in and if tried to forcefully gain entry, he would tell the security to release dogs.
“The monitoring officer served a Contravention Notice and Stop-Work Order dated February 13, 2019 on the structure. The notice and order is to be complied with within 48-hours.” (NAN)