A South Africa-based human rights organization, the Human Rights Association (HRA), has called on the Federal Government to launch an independent, transparent, and time-bound investigation into the collapse of a three-storey building under construction in the Durumi 3 area near Gudu Market, Abuja. The building collapsed in the early hours of Saturday, May 16, killing at least five construction workers and injuring 11 others.
HRA Demands Accountability
In a statement issued on Monday, the organization urged authorities to publish the full findings of the investigation, prosecute all individuals found culpable for regulatory breaches linked to the incident, and implement strict measures to prevent future occurrences. According to the HRA, the victims were construction workers on duty when the structure gave way at about 3:30 a.m., trapping several people beneath the rubble. Emergency responders later rescued one survivor who had spent more than nine hours trapped under debris, while five others were confirmed dead. Search and rescue operations were subsequently called off after officials confirmed no additional victims remained at the scene.
Compromised Cement Mixture
The organization cited preliminary findings by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), publicly communicated by FCT Mandate Secretary for Health Services and Environment, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, indicating that the developer may have compromised the quality of the cement mixture used during construction. Describing the incident as part of a "documented and worsening pattern" of structural failures in Abuja, the HRA referenced a 2025 peer-reviewed study that recorded 30 confirmed building collapse incidents in the FCT between 2008 and 2024, resulting in at least 57 deaths. The study identified the use of substandard building materials, inadequate supervision, and absence of geotechnical investigations as major causes of the collapses.
Previous Incidents
The organization also recalled that six people were injured in April 2026 after a building under construction collapsed in Jikwoyi, while at least seven persons died in another collapse in Sabon Lugbe in October 2024. According to the HRA, the Building Collapse Prevention Guild documented 47 building collapse incidents across Nigeria in 2024 alone, with Abuja accounting for six cases, the second-highest figure nationwide. The group further cited a 2024 report by the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), which stated that 80 percent of building collapses in the country were linked to unqualified builders and poor project oversight.
Regulatory Failures
The HRA stressed that the FCT Development Control Department, responsible for approving building plans and supervising compliance within the territory, must be held accountable for ensuring construction standards are met before disasters occur. "The developer of the building that collapsed in Durumi 3 is reported to have compromised the cement mixture used. That is not a private decision with private consequences. It is a failure of compliance in a regulatory environment that should have detected and halted it. Five people are dead because it did not," the statement said.
Reaction from HRA Chairman
Reacting to the incident, HRA Chairman Saad Kassis-Mohamed said the tragedy was preventable and reflected systemic regulatory failures. "Five construction workers are dead because the building they were working on, in the nation's capital, was built with compromised cement. This was not unforeseeable. Thirty building collapses have been recorded in the FCT since 2008. The causes are known and documented," he said. He called on the Federal Government to conduct an independent investigation into the collapse, publish its findings, and prosecute all those found responsible. Kassis-Mohamed also questioned the effectiveness of the FCT Development Control Department in monitoring construction activities across Abuja before disasters occur.
"Five workers went to a building site and did not come home. Their families deserve accountability. So does every person who lives or works in a building under construction in the Federal Capital Territory," he added.
Demands for Action
The HRA further urged the Federal Government to conduct an immediate audit of all active construction sites in Abuja to ensure compliance with approved plans and building regulations. The organization also demanded that families of the deceased workers be provided with full information regarding the circumstances surrounding the collapse and be granted appropriate compensation. In addition, the group called for the establishment of a publicly accountable framework for ongoing construction site inspections in the FCT, including published enforcement records that would ensure proactive oversight rather than post-disaster intervention.
The Human Rights Association said it operates as an initiative of the WeCare Foundation, an international human rights organization focused on issues of unjust detention, denial of medical care, and due process violations, while also engaging with United Nations mechanisms on human rights advocacy.
