The Lagos State Government says it is setting up an independent panel to probe the collapse of the 21-storey building on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi.
Members of the panel will be drawn from the Nigeria Institute of Architects (NIA), Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) and other professional bodies.
Gbenga Omotosho, the Commissioner for Information in the state said in a statement on Tuesday that the panel will independently investigate the remote and immediate causes of the incident and make recommendations on how to prevent future occurrence.
The investigation is not part of the internal probe already being conducted by the government, he added.
According to him, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said the government will surely find out what went wrong and punish those indicted.
The Governor, as a first step, he said, has directed that the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Gbolahan Oki, an architect, be suspended from work immediately.
The suspension is indefinite.
More equipment and personnel have been deployed in the site to save more lives.
Nine persons – all men – have been pulled out of the rubble alive. They have been taken to the hospital. Unfortunately, 14 others were brought out dead – as of 2pm.