A tragic incident occurred in Idumoza community, Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area, Benin City, where a hotel under construction collapsed, leading to the death of its owner, Andrew Isesere. The unfortunate event, which transpired last Friday, saw the owner crushed to death, while more than 20 workers on the site narrowly escaped, with some sustaining injuries. The remains of the deceased were reportedly recovered from the rubble on Sunday morning.

Eyewitnesses who spoke to journalists largely attributed the collapse to the use of substandard building materials and a lack of proper professional oversight. A neighbor, Andrew Inegbebor, stated that the owner had been advised against using low-quality materials. Specifically, it was mentioned that 12mm rods were used for the pillars instead of the recommended 16mm, and there was an absence of base baskets at the pillars. Furthermore, it was highlighted that there was no qualified engineer present on site; the deceased owner himself supervised the construction, which ultimately led to the structural failure and his demise.

While the incident has drawn significant attention, the Edo police spokesman, Moses Yamu, confirmed that he had not yet been briefed on the details of the incident.