By Habeeb Ibrahim
A 30-year-old woman, Cynthia Oguzie, has died after a water tank stand collapsed and fell into her apartment in the Lekki area of Lagos State.
The incident occurred while Oguzie was taking a nap in her apartment. The structure holding the water tank reportedly collapsed, causing the tank to fall through the roof and land on her bed, crushing her to death.
Eyewitnesses and residents said the landlord of the building was not in the country at the time of the incident. In a Facebook post, a man identified as Chukwuebuka Kanayochukwu, who described himself as Oguzie’s brother, blamed the tragedy on substandard construction.
“Beware of Lekki buildings and their water stands; this is how they sent my sister to her early grave,” Kanayochukwu wrote. “The landlord said he is not in Nigeria; it is the engineer that built all the houses and sent him the pictures and the videos.”
Social media users who reacted to the post called for the arrest of the landlord, the engineer who supervised the construction, and the welder who built the stand.
Images and videos shared online showed the torn roof of Oguzie’s apartment and the damaged black water tank on the victim’s bed. Her lifeless body was seen covered with a blanket as neighbours wailed over the scene.
According to her family, Oguzie’s funeral has been scheduled for Friday, April 25, 2025.
The incident has sparked calls for investigation by relevant authorities, including the Lagos State Building Control Agency and the Lagos State Government.
