Lagos State government has confirmed the arrest of the developer of the collapsed three-storey building in the Yaba area of the state.

In a statement on its official Twitter handle, the government said the developer was arrested for breaking the government seal on the property and violating the “stop-work order.”

He had since been handed over to the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) for questioning.

The statement read: “The Lagos State Government has arrested the developer of a collapsed building at No. 16 Akanbi Crescent, Onike, Yaba,  for breaking the government seal on the property and violating the stop-work order.

The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, who reported that the incident occurred around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, said the building was under construction and at three floors, suspended slab before it collapsed.

Salako stated that preliminary findings indicated that the site had been sealed-off twice by the Lagos State Building Control Agency in 2021 for non-compliance with Building Regulations after which the site was abandoned.

“However, the developer later broke Government Seal, sneaked into the site and re-commenced construction without official authorisation.”

Meanwhile, the collapsed building death toll has increased to five after the body of a student on industrial training was recovered from the debris by rescue workers.

The South-West zonal coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the development to journalists on Sunday.

Four persons had earlier been pulled out of the rubble.