Tension rippled through Odo-Kekere in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State on Thursday evening when a section of a public school building suddenly caved in.
The partial collapse, which occurred shortly after school hours, has been widely described by residents as a narrow escape from disaster.
Witnesses said a portion of the structure gave way with a deafening crack, sending clouds of dust into the air and drawing neighbours to the scene.
Operatives of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency were deployed immediately, cordoning off the premises and commencing safety checks.
Preliminary reports confirmed that no pupils were inside the classrooms when the incident occurred.
Officials were, however, combing the rubble to ensure no non-teaching staff or security personnel were trapped.
A resident, Mrs. Boluwaji Aderinto, whose house sits beside the school, said the collapse validated long-standing concerns about deteriorating public infrastructure in the area.
“We just heard a loud snap and everyone ran out. There was dust everywhere. If this had happened earlier in the day, only God knows what would have happened.
Government needs to wake up and act fast,” she said.
Senior officials of the Ministry of Education, including the Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary of Education District II, have visited the site for an assessment.
A ministry source, who declined to be named, confirmed ongoing inspections, promising that remedial action would follow once investigation is concluded.
As of press time, technical officials were yet to establish the immediate cause of the collapse or the full extent of structural damage.