A four-storey building housing a private school in the Ogba area of Lagos State collapsed on Monday, narrowly avoiding casualties after students and staff were evacuated moments before the structure came down.
The building, occupied by Yemco Schools, is situated on Adu Street, behind County Hospital in Ogba.
Residents and eyewitnesses said the structure began showing signs of distress earlier in the day, raising concerns among people in the area.
School authorities and emergency officials, it was learned, moved quickly to clear the premises, directing students, teachers and other occupants to leave the building immediately.
Shortly after the evacuation was completed, the building collapsed.
Footage shared on social media showed the moment the structure gave way, sending debris crashing down as onlookers watched from a safe distance.
Witnesses said the incident happened only minutes after everyone had been rushed out of the building, a development residents believe prevented a major disaster.
While the section of the property used by the school was completely destroyed, a part of the building reportedly used for residential purposes remained standing beside the collapsed structure.
Officials from the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service later arrived at the location and cordoned off the area to ensure safety. Emergency responders also began preliminary assessments of the site while restricting public access to prevent further risks.
The incident is the latest in a series of building collapse cases recorded across Lagos State in recent years.
About a month ago, another structure collapsed at a public school in the Odo-Kekere community in the Ikorodu area.
Several similar incidents have also been documented across the state in the past year.
In April 2025, at least five people lost their lives after a three-storey building on Oremeta Street in the Ojodu-Berger area collapsed.
The structure, which accommodated a local restaurant, trapped several people under the rubble.
In May of the same year, one person died and three others sustained injuries when a one-storey building under construction collapsed in the Mushin area.
Another two-storey building still under construction also gave way at Otta Ona Junction near the Mobil Filling Station bus stop in Ikorodu, leaving three people dead and several others injured.
Earlier incidents include the collapse of a two-storey building on Modupeola Street in Mangoro, Alimosho, in September, where six people were rescued alive.
In October, rescue teams recovered one body and saved 21 people following the collapse of another two-storey building in the Oyingbo area of Lagos.
As of the time of filing this report, the Lagos State Government had not disclosed the cause of the latest building collapse in Ogba.
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