Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu says 19 families have submitted names of individuals suspected trapped in the collapsed Ikoyi building.
“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 the manifest of those at the site,” explained Mr Sanwo-Olu said. ”As of this afternoon, we have recovered a total of 32 bodies. We are conducting a coroner’s inquest on the bodies, and by tomorrow (Friday), we hope the exercise would have been concluded. That is the deadline we gave to the coroner so that the families can come and identify the bodies recovered so far.”
Mr Sanwo-Olu said this while updating journalists at the site of the collapsed Ikoyi building, adding that a register had been opened.
The governor was at the site for the third time within 72 hours to see how the search and recovery operation was being conducted and boost the emergency responders’ morale. He was in the company of Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat at the site for over three hours.
Mr Sanwo-Olu said the ongoing coroner inquest on the bodies evacuated from the site was expected to be concluded by Friday, after which families would be invited to identify them.
The governor expressed satisfaction with the rescue operation, commending the first responders for their efforts.
He also met with some of the distressed family members at the site, cheering them and raising their hopes, while the rescue efforts progressed, noting that “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.”
