As part of its ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the demise of a 28years old man, identified as Obinna, who was said to have fell from the multi-level car park inside Purple Mall in Lekki, the Lagos State Government has sealed the facility indefinitely pending outcome of the probe into the young man ‘s demise.
As gathered, the deceased young man had gone to the mall for a fitness season inside the gym facilities operated by the mall.
It was learnt that upon arrival at the mall with his car, the deceased was directed to park on the 5th floor of the multi-layer car park inside the mall by the staff.
The grieving mother of Obinna, Kyle, added’ “There was no clear instructions or safety signs to indicate entrance or exit. My son mistakenly entered through the exit.
“He wasn’t speeding, as confirmed by the visuals captured by the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras install inside the facility. He was simply looking for a parking space,” she said tearfully.
While Kylie alleged that it took 35 minutes for the mall management to extract her son from the vehicle and rush him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, a staff of the facility stated that it was difficult to extricate the young man from the accident vehicle.
In response to the grieving mother yesterday, the government noted that the seal on the facility was taken to ensure public safety and initiate an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.
The decision was confirmed by the commissioner for the environment and water resources, Tokunbo Wahab.
Wahab said the ministry had constituted a specialised investigation team to determine the root cause of the structural failure.
“The investigation will focus on uncovering the immediate and underlying causes of the incident, assessing the mall’s compliance with existing building and safety regulations, and identifying any environmental or structural violations.
“This heartbreaking accident was entirely preventable. We will ensure full accountability and implement all necessary measures to prevent future occurrences. Lagosians deserve safe public spaces, and we will not compromise on this,” Mr Wahab said.
The commissioner extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. He, however, assured the public that the government is taking the necessary steps to avoid a repeat of such an incident.
He promised that updates would be provided as the investigation progresses.
Wahab reiterated the Lagos government’s commitment to enforcing strict environmental and safety regulations across all commercial and public infrastructure.
