The Lagos State Government announced on Thursday the reopening of the Purple Mall, located on Freedom Way, Lekki, an area of the state, for business activities.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, gave the directive when he led top government functionaries to inspect the premises of Purple Mall.
Wahab stated that immediately after the incident was brought to their attention, the state government called for an investigation and requested all supporting documents from Purple Mall.
Read Also: Lagos Seals Lekki Mall Following Fatal Parking Incident
“We called for all the supporting documents and investigation after the incident. And in fairness, at the end of the day, we found out that due diligence was observed and that they had the necessary paperwork.
“The mall cannot be sealed indefinitely while the other investigation is still ongoing.
“We were satisfied with our own administrative end of the investigation.
“What we can’t control is the investigation which the police are conducting. That’s an investigation about someone’s life,” he said.
He described the fatal incident at the Purple Mall as very unfortunate, where a young man lost his life after his vehicle allegedly came down from the top floor of the parking lot, leading to his death.
He added that LASG was called out on social media after the incident for not doing the due diligence before giving approval to build the mall.
“This call out made them name agencies like the Lagos Safety Commission and the Lagos State Building Control Agency, and the Lagos State Physical Planning Authority as culprits,” he said.
Wahab recalled that the facility was earlier shut by LASG to give room for a specialised investigation to determine the cause of the incident.
“This was also to assess compliance with building safety regulations and identify any environmental or structural violations,” he said.
The mall was sealed by the Lagos State Government on July 3 following a tragic incident that occurred at the mall’s parking lot, resulting in the death of a young Nigerian.
The incident occurred at the mall’s parking lot.
Wahab said the action was taken to ensure public safety and initiate a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal event.
He said the ministry had constituted a specialised investigation team to determine the root cause of the structural failure.
“The investigation will focus on uncovering the immediate and underlying causes of the incident; assessing the mall’s compliance with existing building and safety regulations, and identifying any environmental or structural violations,” he said.