Reports indicate that Unity House, used by former Imo State governor Rochas Okorocha as his campaign headquarters during his run for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential nomination, has collapsed in Abuja.
According to an online platform, Thediscovererng.com, the incident occurred around 8:30 p.m. on Monday, July 1, along Amadu Bello Way, Garki Abuja. It was revealed that the building was under renovation at the time.
An eyewitness who spoke to Pulse said the collapsed structure was a hotel located on the same premises as Okorocha’s Unity House. “I was hanging out with my friends at a recreational spot opposite the building when the incident transpired. It happened before my very eyes. The building that collapsed was on the same premises as Okorocha’s house,” the eyewitness recounted.
Vanguard also reported the incident, mentioning that some individuals might have been trapped inside the collapsed building. “There is a possibility that there could be some people inside the collapsed building who may have died. I saw two people being pulled out from the rubble and taken to the hospital while rescue operations were ongoing. The emergency responders are not coordinated yet for efficient operations,” another eyewitness told the newspaper.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command confirmed the incident in a statement obtained by Pulse. The statement noted that Commissioner of Police Benneth C. Igweh, along with multiple patrol teams, arrived at the scene as first responders and secured the area to facilitate rescue operations.
Three individuals were successfully rescued from the debris and transported to the hospital for medical treatment. The National Emergency Management Agency of Nigeria (NEMA) and FCT Development Control have been notified, and their personnel are now managing the scene.
“Further developments will be appropriately communicated in due course,” the statement read.
Unity House served as Okorocha’s campaign headquarters during his run for the APC presidential nomination, which he lost to the eventual winner, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who emerged victorious in the 2023 presidential election.
