The man in whose care the three-storey building that collapsed in Ebute-Meta was entrusted, said that he gave its occupants quit notice after discovering the house was distressed.
The caretaker, the landlord’s son, spoke anonymously to emergency responders and journalists on Monday.
He explained that he was living in the building with other occupants when he noticed the distress signs.
“I had to leave the building and rent an apartment in the same vicinity,” the caretaker said.
The caretaker said he eventually handed quit notice to the occupants, but they failed to quit.
Also, he said he had not collected rent from the tenants for a long time since he had expected them to vacate the building.
Meanwhile, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says the death toll at the collapsed Ebute-Meta three-storey building has risen to eight.
On Monday in Lagos, Ibrahim Farinloye, South-West zonal coordinator of NEMA, disclosed that the deceased includd five males and three females.
An old three-Storey building collapsed at No 24 Ibadan Street, off Herbert Macaulay Way, Ebute-Meta, on Sunday night at about 10:56 p.m.
Twenty-three occupants of the building were rescued, said the agency.
However, rescue operations were ongoing at the incident site to search for occupants trapped under the rubble.
(NAN)