Four members of a family have died while four others were rescued after part of a building collapsed in the Popo Giwa area of Ilorin, Kwara State.

The incident occurred at about 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at No. 41 Popo Giwa Street, beside Gogoro Mosque, in the Ile-Oyan/Masalasi Gogoro area of Ilorin West Local Government Area.

According to emergency officials, eight members of the same family were trapped beneath the rubble following the collapse.

Emergency responders from the Kwara State Fire Service, Federal Fire Service, Kwara State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Red Cross and medical services were deployed to the scene.

Residents of the community also joined the rescue operation as emergency personnel worked through the debris to reach those trapped.

The Kwara State Fire Service Public Relations Officer, Hassan Adekunle, said the agency received a distress call at about 5:00 a.m. and immediately deployed personnel to the scene.

An excavator was later brought in to remove debris and create access to parts of the collapsed structure.

As the rescue operation continued, four members of the family were brought out alive, while four others were recovered dead.

The survivors, including a child identified as Firdaus, were taken to hospital for medical attention.

The Commissioner of Police in Kwara State, Ojo Adekimi, who visited the scene, said preliminary findings indicated that the collapsed structure was the boys’ quarters attached to the main three-storey building.

He said occupants of the main building had been evacuated while authorities assessed the safety of the remaining structure.

According to an eyewitness, Abdulganiy Musa, the father of the family is a serving soldier, while the mother was reportedly a casual staff member at the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies in Ilorin.

Representing Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq at the scene, the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Lawal Olohungbebe, described the incident as unfortunate and commiserated with the affected family.

He also stressed the importance of accessible roads in residential communities, noting that access to the area facilitated the rapid arrival of emergency responders.

The Ilorin West Local Government Chairman, AbdulRahman Babatunde Ladan, also visited the scene and commended the emergency agencies and residents who participated in the rescue operation.

He urged residents to take structural warning signs seriously and evacuate buildings whenever they notice cracks, unusual movement or other indications of possible structural failure.

The exact cause of the collapse has not yet been established. Authorities are expected to conduct a technical assessment to determine what led to the incident.

The tragedy has renewed concerns over structural safety and compliance with approved building standards in Ilorin, with calls for property owners and developers to use quality materials and engage qualified professionals in building design, construction and supervision.

For now, authorities have confirmed four deaths and four survivors from the eight people trapped in the collapsed section, as investigations and structural assessments continue.