
A three-storey building located at Road Two Junction, Low-Cost Housing Estate in Umuahia, Abia State, collapsed in the early hours of Wednesday.
The structure, reportedly abandoned for two decades, is said to belong to High Chief Ikechi Emenike, a prominent politician and former APC governorship candidate in the 2023 general election.

The Umuahia Capital Development Authority (UCDA) has since sealed off the site of the collapsed building.
Confirming the incident during a visit to the scene, the General Manager of UCDA, Mr. Kingsley Agomoh, expressed gratitude that no lives were lost, though two occupants of a nearby bungalow, one of whom is a baby, sustained injuries and are currently receiving treatment at a private hospital in Umuahia.
Agomoh said an investigation has commenced to determine the cause of the collapse, adding that appropriate sanctions will be applied in accordance with the law.

He also disclosed that integrity tests would be conducted on two other three-storey buildings still standing within the same premises.
In a separate interview, Mr. Ugwumba Shedrack and Nkechi Uzochi, occupants of the affected bungalow, confirmed that the collapse occurred around 3 a.m. They identified the owner of the fallen structure as “former Governorship candidate of APC in 2023 general election, High Chief Ikechi Emenike.”
Another eyewitness and security personnel at the property, Mr. Babayu Adamu, revealed that the building had shown signs of structural distress in the past. Although reinforcement work had once been carried out, he noted that there had been no recent indications of collapse.
He said, “the building had caved in before it finally collapsed this morning.”
As of press time, officials from the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) had begun evacuating residents from the remaining two buildings on the premises.