Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has ordered the immediate arrest of the owner of the collapsed building when he visited the scene of the incident at Garki village, Abuja.
Several residents were trapped in the rubble of the two-storey building that collapsed on Wednesday night.
Wike, who gave the order on Thursday applauded the ongoing rescue efforts, saying that it was unfortunate that they woke up to the very disturbing news of the building collapse.
He however appealed to the Permanent Secretary to make sure that funds are raised to pay the hospital bills of those who were rescued.
The FCT minister said that he will take immediate action to see that the indigenous people of the village were resettled and then the government has to plan out the area.
Meanwhile, some residents of the area said they had persistently complained to the landlord and lawyer of the collapsed building concerning its dilapidated state, saying that their complaints, however, fell on deaf ears.
The visibly angry residents equally blamed relevant government agencies for failing to conduct integrity tests or inspections on the building, which is located in the city centre and a highly populated area of Abuja.
