Nine people have been trapped as a one-storey building collapsed in Minna, the Niger State capital.
Confirming the development, police spokesperson in Niger, Wasiu Abiodun, said the building was used as a warehouse. He said the building collapsed at about 2:50pm on Friday.
Abiodun said two of the nine victims rescued sustained minor injuries.
Emergency officials who raced to the scene on Friday succeeded in rescuing seven persons who are receiving treatment at the Minna General Hospital.
The building is located at the popular New Market Area in Minna, the capital of the North-Central State.
According to rescue officials, manual evacuation of the debris has commenced, and the authorities said machines would be mobilised quickly so that those suspected to be trapped could be rescued.
The immediate cause of the building collapse is not yet known as of the time of this report.
The Director, Information and Special Duties of Niger State Emergency Management Agency, Hussaini Ibrahim, who was at the scene of the incident said the rescue operation is ongoing.
Also, the General Manager of the Niger State Urban Development Board, Bako Ismail, said the building was illegally converted to a story building, claiming that the board has made repeated attempts to stop the property owner from the illegal conversion.
