Lagos Government Orders Demolition of RCCG Church Building After Nearby Collapse Incident

The Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) has issued a demolition order for a parish building of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in the Somolu area after it sustained structural damage from a neighboring building collapse.

According to Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) reports, several church members narrowly avoided tragedy when the adjoining construction site gave way on Monday. Worshippers were inside the church building when the incident occurred but escaped unharmed.

During a follow-up visit to the site on Tuesday, LASBCA officials not only reinforced the demolition directive but also ordered the immediate evacuation of occupants from the damaged building. A notice affixed to the church wall confirmed that the structure had developed severe defects due to the impact of the fallen building.

A third notice served by LASBCA demanded the building’s demolition within seven days.

The official statement read:

“Please refer to the contravention notice with Ref. LASBCA /SML/25/PCA/CN/091 dated June 16, 2025, served on the structure above address.

This office has observed that you have not complied with the instruction contained in the notice.

Notice is hereby given that if the said infraction is not removed within seven days from the date of this notice, the said infraction/unauthorised or distressed building shall be demolished and the cost of such demolition recovered from you.”

In an interview with LMSINT MEDIA Metro, Parish Pastor Daniel Ojo expressed deep concern about how the demolition would disrupt the church’s ongoing activities. He also revealed that there had been previous worries regarding the speed and quality of the neighboring construction project.

“We can no longer have services here. We were supposed to have a service today, but we can’t meet,” Pastor Ojo said.

“There was a bungalow, and some of our members were there. They had to relocate because someone bought it and pulled it down. Within a few days, excavation began, and before long, a new building emerged.

Without being an engineer, we were already questioning how fast the work was progressing.”

Ojo added that finding a temporary venue for worship would be extremely difficult due to the industrial nature of the Somolu area.

“Getting a location or an event hall for services temporarily is very difficult because Somolu is an industrial area. Also, if we move far away from here, we will lose our members. This is a family church.”

A nearby trader, who requested anonymity, shared with LMSINT MEDIA Metro how the construction workers narrowly avoided death. According to her, the laborers managed to flee just as the building began to fall.

“The construction workers escaped death because none of them was at the bottom of the building. They were all at the top, and when the building collapsed, they all fled for survival.”

When contacted, a person identified as Adekomi Adeniyi, whose contact appeared on the official demolition notice, verified that the notice was indeed issued by LASBCA. However, he did not reveal his official role.

“After we cleared the rubble of the collapsed building, we checked if it had affected the church building, which is why we issued the notice,” Adeniyi said.