Narrow Escape as Ekeoha Shopping Centre Collapses in Aba

Tragedy struck on Wednesday at the Ekeoha shopping center in Aba, Abia State, when a section of the market collapsed, narrowly avoiding fatalities but leaving goods worth millions of Naira destroyed.

The incident occurred during the bustling morning buying and selling activities. Although no lives were lost, the aftermath of the incident left several traders devastated as their goods were buried under the rubble.

One of the traders, Ifeoma, who had come to purchase items, recounted the harrowing experience, mentioning that an alarm was raised about cracking walls in zone 13 of the shopping center.

The alert prompted traders and customers to hastily evacuate their shops. Unfortunately, a few minutes later, some shops succumbed to the structural damage, leading to the destruction of many goods.

Grateful to have survived, many traders expressed their heartfelt thanks to God for sparing their lives. However, they bemoaned the loss of their merchandise.

Blame was directed at the contractors responsible for constructing the shops, with some traders alleging that shoddy workmanship contributed to the incident.

Reacting to the unfortunate event, Governor Alex Otti expressed his condolences to the affected traders. He dispatched a team led by the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Okey Kanu, and his Special Assistant on Aba rejuvenation, Uche Ukeje, to assess the situation on-site.

Governor Otti attributed the collapse to the alleged greed of officials from the past administration in the State. He expressed dismay that additional structures were erected on existing floors in the market without due consideration of the potential negative impacts.

In response to the incident, Governor Otti ordered the evacuation and sealing of the affected areas in the market and called for integrity tests to be conducted on other shops to prevent similar occurrences in the future.