Ajuwon Building Collapse: Nurse Dies With Daughter as Son Escapes by Seconds

Matilda Omonaiye/

What began as a desperate dash for safety ended in tragedy for 45-year-old Senior Nursing Sister Oluwaseun Sodiya and her daughter, who were killed when a building collapsed at Ajuwon in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Sodiya, a member of the planning committee for the annual anniversary of Penpushing Media, was reportedly trying to flee the building with her two children after hearing ominous cracking sounds when the structure suddenly gave way.

Her son made it out.
Sodiya and her daughter did not.

Their bodies were recovered from beneath the rubble the following day and taken to the morgue of General Hospital, Ifo — a facility where Sodiya had once worked as a nurse.

The tragedy occurred on Monday at OGS Bus Stop, Baale Road, Ajuwon, a densely populated border community between Ogun and Lagos states.

The collapsed building housed two shops on the ground floor and residential apartments above.

According to accounts of the incident, Sodiya sensed danger when the building began making cracking sounds and rushed to get her children out. Her son was able to run clear of the structure moments before it collapsed, while his mother and sister were trapped beneath the debris.

For the surviving boy, the narrow escape has come with an unbearable loss: in a matter of seconds, he lost his mother and sister and emerged from a home that had suddenly become a pile of rubble.

The family, in burial arrangements released today, said Sodiya and her daughter would be laid to rest at 11 a.m. on Friday at Akorede area, off Onipetesi Meji Bus Stop, Ajilete, Ogun State.

Beyond her career in nursing, Sodiya was remembered by colleagues at Penpushing Media as a committed and proactive member whose contribution to the organisation’s activities had earned her the affection and respect of those who worked with her.

The management, editorial board and planning committee of Penpushing Media expressed grief over her death, with Chairman of the Editorial Board, Deaconess Olufunke Fadugba, describing the tragedy as particularly painful because what initially appeared to be a distant disaster had claimed someone close to them.

“Oh! What a sad development? The news of the collapsed building seemed so far, not knowing the one involved was so near. May God grant her and the daughter eternal rest,” Fadugba wrote.

She said Sodiya’s death would leave a profound void, particularly in the life of her surviving son, who escaped the collapse by a whisker.

“Seun’s death will no doubt have massive impact on all who knew her, particularly her son,” Fadugba said, adding that Sodiya had largely struggled on her own to provide for her children.

Meanwhile, Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has ordered a full-scale investigation into the collapse, as authorities seek to establish what caused the structure to fail.

According to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, preliminary findings by a multi-agency investigation team indicated that the building suffered a catastrophic structural failure, causing the lower floors to sink into the ground while portions of the upper slab remained visible above the rubble.

Eyewitnesses said the building collapsed at about 3 p.m., shortly after a downpour accompanied by thunderstorms and a reported lightning strike.

The government, however, cautioned against drawing conclusions about the cause until structural, geotechnical and forensic investigations are completed.

Investigators are expected to determine whether foundation defects, soil instability, construction flaws, substandard materials or other factors contributed to the disaster.

Emergency responders from several state agencies, the police and Ifo Local Government were deployed to the scene, while contractors working around the Akute-Alagbole and Agbado axis reportedly provided heavy equipment to support rescue operations.

Abiodun also directed relevant agencies to conduct structural, soil and material assessments and inspect adjoining buildings to determine whether they had been compromised.

The governor warned that anyone found to have breached building regulations, deviated from approved plans or compromised construction standards would face prosecution.

The state government also thanked the Lagos State Government for its intervention in the rescue operation, describing the response as evidence of cooperation between the neighbouring states.

As investigators search for answers in the ruins at Ajuwon, Sodiya’s family and colleagues are preparing for a far more personal task, saying goodbye to a mother and daughter whose attempt to escape ended only moments before safety.

For the son who made it out, however, those few seconds may forever divide life into two parts: the home he ran from and the family members who could not run out with him.