Several people have been trapped in a building collapse at Arowojobe Estate in Maryland area of Lagos State.
It was gathered that some lives have been lost in the incident.
The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, which was alerted at 01:55 hours today, Thursday, July 25, swiftly dispatched the Ilupeju Rescue Team to the scene.
It was also learnt that upon arrival, rescue teams discovered a grim situation.
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Report has it that as of 10:25 am, five people have been rescued alive and transported to nearby hospitals for medical treatment.
However, five individuals have been recovered deceased, including an adult male.
The director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, confirmed the ongoing nature of the rescue operations.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic event,” she stated.
The rescue teams are working tirelessly to locate and save the remaining individuals inside the rubbles.
The cause of the building collapse remains unknown, and authorities are expected to launch an investigation once the immediate rescue operations concludes.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it can comfortably handle the conduct of local government elections if the responsibility falls on it.
The chairman of the commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu said this on Thursday, July 25, when he appeared before the joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters on preparations for the upcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.
He said INEC has the capacity to handle the local government elections but that would only be possible pending when the law is amended to permit it to do so.
He pointed out that the Commission had been conducting area council elections in the Federal Capital Territory which has been devoid of the problems associated with the conduct of local government elections.
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He pointed out some advantages of INEC handling elections to include that there are regular elections as when due, stability of tenure, and also that there has never been a caretaker committee in the FCT.
He noted that there has never been a time one political party has won all the seats at the elections as is common in the states.
He said if INEC handles the election, it would be better for democracy.
He, however, said this can only happen if the constitution is amended to take the responsibility from state electoral commissions.
