Two jolly friends, Femi Osibona and Wale Bob-Oseni died same day while their bodies were discovered same day on Thursday, November 4, 2021.
Bob-Oseni was recovered dead few hours after the rescuers recovered the body of Osibona who was the Developer and the owner of the collapsed building in Ikoyi, Lagos.
READ ALSO: Owner of collapsed 21-Storey building, Femi Osibona found dead
It was learnt that their bodies were found on Thursday by responders during the recovery operation at the scene of the incident.
Bob-Oseni, a Real Estate Dealer, was on his way back to the US on Monday when he got a call from Osibona to check out the project.
Both friends were subsequently trapped when the building collapsed.
Our correspondents had reported that the 21-storey building crumbled on Monday around 2pm when Osibona, who owned the project, his clients and workers were on the site.
READ ALSO: Elizade reacts to ownership of collapsed building, his link with VP Osinbajo
One of our reporters, who was at the scene on Thursday, reported that no fewer than 40 corpses had so far been recovered from the site.
Families lament delay in identifying corpses
Some relatives of the victims lamented the postponement of the identification of corpses recovered by emergency workers.
They recalled that Sanwo-Olu said autopsies were being conducted on the corpses but families would be able to identify their loved ones from Thursday.
READ ALSO: Who owns the 21-Storey collapsed building? VP Osinbajo angle to ownership revealed (READ INSIDE STORY)
The bereaved families said when they visited the Mainland Hospital mortuary, Yaba, on Thursday, they were denied access to the bodies.
The father of an 18-year-old boy, Edward Godwin, while in tears, said he was not allowed to identify his son’s body despite the governor’s assurance.
He said, “I honestly needed to see my son yesterday (Wednesday). I’ve been to the General Hospital to check those injured, but my son was not there. I thought I would be able to see him today, but I’ve not been able to see my son.”
A woman, who did not identify herself, said she had been to the State Morgue as well but was not allowed to identify her sister’s son.
READ ALSO: WHAT A PITY! Corps member who relocates from Borno to Lagos dies in collapsed building
She said, “The Governor said yesterday (Wednesday) that we would be able to see the corpses recovered today (Thursday) and check if our loved ones were there. But when I went there today, I was not allowed to see anything despite telling them that the Governor said we would be able to check today.
“I want to know if the boy is still alive or dead. I have not told my sister about what happened because she’s not staying in Lagos and I want to know if he’s dead or not before telling her. The government should just allow us to see if our people are there or not.”
Another woman, who identified herself as Florence, said she spoke with her brother on Sunday before she got a call that he was among those trapped.
READ ALSO: Personal Assistant to owner of collapsed building dies few days after employment, a month to wedding (SEE PHOTOS)
She said, “My younger brother is here; I spoke with him last on Sunday but someone called me that something happened and I came here yesterday.
“Someone told me he was among those rushed to the hospital and I went to the general hospital and showed someone his picture and he confirmed that he was brought in unconscious. But since yesterday, I’ve not seen him or sure of the hospital he was taken to.”
It was observed as a black Toyota Highlander reportedly owned by an Aluminium Fabricator trapped in the rubble was driven away from the site on Thursday.
The wife of the victim, who sat under a tree, looked vague and declined comment when one of our correspondents approached her.
READ ALSO: How greed, substandard materials contribute to collapse of 21-Storey building in Lagos (INSIDE STORY) by Adesoji OMOSEBI
Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday, declared three days of mourning for the victims of the collapsed building.
The Governor, in a statement by the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, commiserated with all those who lost their loved ones in the tragic incident.
“All flags are to be flown at half-mast in public and private buildings and official engagements cancelled during the mourning period,” he added.
Sanwo-Olu noted that since the help desk was opened on Wednesday, only 19 names of missing persons had been registered with the state government.
He said the number of persons trapped in the collapsed building remained unclear.
The governor said, “Yesterday (Wednesday), we opened a register for people that have missing persons or loved ones whom they believed must have been at the site before the collapse. As I speak here, it is only 19 names of missing persons that have been registered. Some of them have pictures, others do not. This list would help us to get information on manifest of those at the site.”
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