By Francesca Hangeior

The former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fanikayode has confirmed the death of his Special Assistant, Mr. Ndifreke Saviour Mark, who according to reports, slumped and died in an Abuja hotel.

In an announcement posted on his X formerly Twitter handle the former Minister while mourning the death of the man said the police have started investigation into the incident while the hotel has been sealed up and that he will ensure that justice is done and what led to his death unravelled.

According to his statement; “It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my devoted Special Assistant, Mr. Ndifreke Saviour Mark, who was with me for no less than 34 years.

He left home at 5.40am on the morning of Sunday 13th October for morning Mass as he was a devoted Catholic and member of the Catholic Church of Assumption, Asokoro after which he went to a hotel by the name of Mildy Lodge and Apartments in Garki, Abuja.

According to the police he took a room at the hotel and spent some time there with an individual after which he apparently slumped and died in that individual’s presence.

He was taken to Asokoro District Hospital, was pronounced dead upon arrival and has since been put in the hospital morgue.

The individual he was with at the time of his death in the hotel is now in police custody and I have insisted on a full criminal investigation of the matter and an autopsy.

The hotel receptionist has also been detained by the police whilst both the manager and the owner of the hotel were invited for questioning earlier this week.

The entire hotel was also sealed up by the police for two days and the room in which he lodged remains sealed till today. I have broken the sad news to his family, I have met with his wife Barrister Patience Ndifreke-Mark and his Uncle, Mr. Clement Mathias, (who represented his family) and I have also told them of my intention to ensure that, if indeed there is any foul play, justice is done and those behind it are brought to book.

Mark was like a son to me and his passing is a huge blow to me and my entire family. We shared many dreams and aspirations and fought many battles together shoulder to shoulder.

Now he has gone it has left much pain but I give thanks to God for his life and for the 52 years that he spent on earth. I have assured his wife and family of my intention to stand by them at this difficult time and to ensure that they do not lack or want for anything.

I have absolute confidence in the FCT Police Command to get to the bottom of this matter after which we can proceed to bury a man that was my most loyal staff and most trusted aide.

Most important of all is the fact that he was a kind, reliable and compassionate soul who brought joy to many and who was incapable of hurting a fly.

I will never forget him and though he has passed he lives on in our hearts. I thank all those that have found the time to come and mourn with us at this difficult time.

May Ndifreke’s precious soul rest in peace and may the Lord comfort his wife and two beautiful young children.

The Lagos State Building Control Agency has identified over 15 distressed buildings to be pulled down by the agency in Iponri Estate, Surulere.

The identification comes with a two-week evacuation notice for the occupants.

This was disclosed by the General Manager of LASBCA, Gbolahan Oki, in a statement on Sunday.

He asserted that the agency had given several notices and warnings to the affected residents to vacate the area, to prevent the loss of lives and properties.

He said, “Asking residents to vacate distressed buildings to enable LASBCA to remove them is in the best interest of the public.”

Oki warned that the deteriorating condition of some of the distressed buildings posed a great danger, as their integrity had been compromised and could give way at any time.

He added, “To avert any likely disaster often associated with building collapse, the state government needs to act swiftly for public safety.

“The agency is committed to enforcing building safety standards across the state, and residents should comply with evacuation orders to avoid any casualty.”

The LASBCA boss further assured the public that it would continue to monitor buildings across the state to identify other structures that may pose similar risks to avert dangers.

While explaining the risks associated with distressed buildings, a member representing Surulere Constituency 1 at the House of A

Assembly, Desmond Elliot, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Housing, Barakat Bakare, implored residents not to compromise standards but to abide by the building codes and regulations.

Elliot applauded LASBCA for its dedication to ensuring sanity in the built environment and also implored the residents to vacate the area to safeguard lives and properties.

Last Monday, a two-storey building collapsed on Amusu Street, in the Orile Iganmu area of Lagos State.

The PUNCH learnt that the incident happened at about 8 am on Monday.

The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Damilola Oke-Osanyitolu, confirmed the incident in a statement, stating that the collapse occurred due to the building’s age.

The Ebonyi police command says 10 people sustained various degrees of injury in a gas explosion that occurred at a catering school in the state.

Speaking with NAN on Saturday, Joshua Ukandu, police spokesperson in the state, said the incident happened at Orokeonuoha community, Ebonyi LGA.

Ukandu said no casualties were recorded in the explosion, adding that it was caused by a cooking gas cylinder in the school’s kitchen.

“The police are aware of the incident and it happened on Thursday— the victims were taken to the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki,” he said.

“At the time the incident occurred, there was no record of death— there were students in the school known as Good Shepherd Catering School, Orokeonuoha, when the incident occurred.”

The police spokesperson described the incident as “very unfortunate”.

Ralph Ibiam, chief fire officer at the Ebonyi State Fire Service, said the agency did not receive the report of the explosion.

“Nobody called or informed the Ebonyi fire service about such an incident— gas explosions are becoming a trend in the state,” he said.