A 25-year-old worker has died after part of an old building being demolished in Otolo-Nnewi, Anambra State, collapsed on him, prompting a police investigation into how the incident happened and whether anyone bears responsibility.
The victim, identified by police as Bakeru Iwal, was among workers at the demolition site in Nnewi North Local Government Area when a section of the structure suddenly gave way on Tuesday.
Police said operatives from the Otolo Divisional Headquarters responded to the scene, cordoned off the area and began preliminary investigations.
Iwal’s body was taken to a mortuary pending an autopsy and other examinations.
The Anambra State Police Command said preliminary information indicates that the building was already being demolished when the section collapsed and trapped the worker.
Commissioner of Police Nnanna Ama ordered a full investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the death and determine whether any person bears responsibility.
That investigation is now central to the story.
What happened at the demolition site?
The available account establishes that demolition work was underway and that part of the building collapsed while Iwal was working there.
It does not yet establish why the structure failed.
There is also no verified finding at this stage that negligence, unsafe demolition practice or criminal conduct caused the death.
Those questions remain for investigators.
The key follow-up questions are who authorised and supervised the demolition, what safety arrangements were in place and whether investigators identify any breach or preventable failure.
Those details were not established in the police account reviewed by IDNN.
Police say responsibility will be examined
Police said the scene was documented and that further action would depend on the outcome of the investigation.
The Commissioner of Police directed officers to conduct the inquiry professionally and thoroughly, while asking the public to allow the process to continue.
That means the case remains an investigation, not a finding of fault.
For the family of the dead worker, however, the immediate consequence is already final.
A demolition job ended with a 25-year-old man dead.
The next public-interest question is whether his death resulted from an unavoidable structural failure or a preventable workplace incident — and what evidence the police investigation produces to answer that.
