By Deborah Nnamdi
A section of the Pentagon Lodge, a three-storey building housing students of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo (AE-FUNAI) in Ebonyi State, collapsed on Friday afternoon.
Before the incident, the building had reportedly shown signs of structural weakness, with visible cracks that prompted some students to evacuate.
As of the time of this report, no casualties have been confirmed. However, several students’ personal belongings were believed to still be inside, especially those who were out of town at the time of the collapse.
According to sources within the university community, Pentagon Lodge consists of five separate blocks, with the collapse affecting one section of a block.
The university’s Public Relations Officer, Elom Iyke Ubochi, confirmed the incident on Saturday in Abakaliki. He expressed relief that the collapse occurred during lecture hours, reducing the risk of injuries or fatalities.
“From what I’ve heard so far, there’s no casualty. It happened during school hours; students were in school for lectures and other activities. Unfortunately, some of their properties were affected,” Ubochi said.
He also advised affected students to formally report the incident to the Dean of Student Affairs so the university can document and address the matter accordingly.
