Collapsed Building: Investigators Must Explore Beyond Structural, Regulatory Lapses — Legal Expert

A property and commercial law expert, Barr. Goodman Iheikwunacho, has called on investigative teams probing the recent building collapse in Umuahia to look beyond structural or regulatory failures and consider the possibility of foul play.

Speaking with journalists on Wednesday, the Umuahia-based lawyer urged authorities not to limit their investigation to conventional issues such as building code violations or structural defects, but to thoroughly examine all potential causes, including sabotage.

His comments come in the wake of the collapse of a three-storey building in Umuahia last Saturday, an incident in which a 35-year-old woman, Blessing Ugochukwu, and her two children miraculously survived.

Iheikwunacho pointed to the political stature of the building’s owner, Chief Ikechi Emenike—a former APC governorship candidate in Abia—as a reason to consider other less obvious factors.

“You can’t rule out the possibility of political sabotage,” he said. “I’ve seen reports quoting residents who said they heard a loud boom before the building came down. Some said it sounded like thunder; others likened it to an explosion.”

He stressed that the complexity of the incident requires a broader, open-minded approach by investigators.

“When a structure collapses like a pack of cards, multiple factors may be involved. Let the investigative teams follow every lead—technical, regulatory, or otherwise—so their findings will stand up to scrutiny,” Iheikwunacho advised.

Two separate investigations are expected to unfold: one by the Umuahia Capital Development Authority (UCDA) and another by the Umuahia Area Office of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), which has already deployed a technical team for a preliminary site assessment.

Meanwhile, the Abia State Government has announced plans to conduct integrity tests on the two remaining buildings in the affected complex, and has extended the directive to all buildings in Umuahia above two floors, both existing and under construction, as a proactive measure against future collapses.