We gave the tenants quit notice long ago, says caretaker of collapsed Ebute-Meta building

The caretaker in charge of the three-storey building that collapsed in Ebute-Meta has shed more light on the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.

Speaking on Monday with emergency responders and journalists, the caretaker, who’s also the landlord’s son, said the tenants of the building had been given quit notice long before the building caved in. 

He said the occupants were asked to vacate the building after discovering the house was distressed.

He explained that he was living in the building with other occupants when he noticed the distress signs.

“I had to leave the building and rent an apartment in the same vicinity,” the caretaker said.

The caretaker said he eventually handed quit notice to the occupants, but they failed to quit.

Also, he said he had not collected rent from the tenants for a long time since he had expected them to vacate the building.

The building collapsed on Sunday night, killing eight occupants, while 23 were rescued alive.

Emergency workers have been working on getting to ground zero of the building.