How Bob-Oseni, US bounds traveller ended up under Ikoyi collapsed building

A real estate dealer and Executive Director of African Bureau for Legislative Empowerment, Wale Bob-Oseni, was on his way to the US on Monday, but ended up under the rubbles of the 21-storey building that collapsed on Monday in Ikoyi.

It was learnt that he got a call from Femi Osibona, owner of Fourscore Homes while on his way to the airport, and therefore decided to check out the ongoing development at Gerard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos state where he met his untimely death.

The building collapsed with Bob-Oseni and Osibona inside, and they are now presumably dead after 48 hours of rescue efforts.

Dele Momodu, former presidential candidate and publisher, who was close to both of them, said on Wednesday that both men were his “aburos” — an affectionate term for younger friends.

“Wale was on his way to the US… this is so tragic,” he said on the phone.

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In a video that went viral some minutes after the collapse, a man believed to be Bob-Oseni’s driver was seen crying, saying he was to take his boss to the Lagos airport.

“He was heading to America. I want to go and drop him in the airport,” the driver said in tears.

There is no official figure of the number of persons who were in the building before the incident happened but over 50 persons are said to have been trapped.

Bob-Oseni is also the corporate affairs manager of the First Premiere Mortgage, according to his profile on LinkedIn, which also states that he had a master’s in international relations and diplomacy from the Howard University in the US.

It had been reported that the owner of Fourscore Homes is believed to be trapped in the rubble or in hiding.

The death toll of the incident had risen to 36, while nine persons have been rescued as of Thursday morning.