Police nabs fake engineer of collapse building in Akwa Ibom

Felix Anietie Udoh, an imposter posing as an engineer, has been apprehended by the Akwa Ibom State Police Command for constructing the ill-fated four-story building that crumbled in September 2022. The collapse resulted in the tragic death of one individual and inflicted severe injuries on five others.

Among the 96 suspects apprehended by the state police command from July to August 2023, Udoh was presented to the public at the Uyo police headquarters by Commissioner of Police Olatoye Durosinmi. Durosinmi stated, “Recall that on the 17th of September 2022, a four-story building located at No. 3 Iman Street, behind Zenith Bank, off Aka Road, Uyo, collapsed, leading to the death of one Favour Chukwuemeka Okoro, while five persons were rescued.”

Durosinmi continued, “The alleged site engineer, one Felix Anietie Udoh of Felixzity High Technology Limited, fled. On August 7, 2023, the suspect was arrested by the anti-robbery squad of the command. On interrogation, the suspect confessed not to be an engineer but a builder.”

The suspect himself revealed to journalists, “I’m a trained builder; this (collapsed building) started in 2020 when we worked up to the first decking and there was a waterlog in the compound. The owner of the building came to Nigeria. I told him that the water was soaking the foundation and that we should sand-fill the place and concrete the compound, but he said it was not in the contract agreement that I was trying to impose additional costs on him.”

Udoh further explained, “In 2021, we were on the third decking when I drew his attention again and told him that the water that was in the foundation would weaken the foundation and cause cracking. He said he would do that when he finished the work. So in 2022, when we were on the fourth floor, that was when the incident happened.”

Despite the ominous signs of potential collapse, Udoh continued the construction under the threat of severe consequences from the building’s owner if he were to halt the project.