Rescue operations and the visit of the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, and his team to the site of the collapsed 21-storey building in Ikoyi, Lagos...on Tuesday. Photos: Olukayode Jaiyeola

A brother to one of the alleged victims of the collapsed building at Ikoyi, Jude Ogochukwu, has decried denial of access at the hospital to enable him identify his brother.

Ogochukwu made this plea to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who visited the site on Wednesday.

When given an opportunity to speak to the governor, the victim’s brother stated that his brother just resumed at the site two weeks ago.

“My name is Jude Ogochukwu and my brother is there. He’s an engineer. He just started about two weeks ago. What we need is early closure.”

He added that he had spoken to the Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, and had also visited the morgue at the Mainland Hospital Yaba, to see if he could identify his brother but access wasn’t given.

Ogochukwu continued, “It has been terrible, Sir. They refused us to see the people that were there. They refused us to have an early closure. We need to know early. It will take about two weeks to get this thing done. We are in pain; severe pains. We need early closure.”

In response, Sanwo-Olu stated that the government knew the names of the survivors but could not say the same for the deceased.

He said, “Regarding access, officially, there has to be an autopsy. As I have said, they are conducting that. We hope that they will conclude that today.

“We do not just want to show pictures to anyone. It’s not professional. It’s not what we do. That’s why we need to have a clear manifest of the family members and who we will take to the morgue tomorrow to show what we have. So that the closure can be quick and fast.”