Hostel collapse in Anambra State traps many students

An undetermined number of students are feared trapped after a three-story hostel building collapsed in Anambra State, Nigeria, prompting a large-scale emergency response. The Elite Five Star Lodge, located beside the Tonimas Filling Station in the Amokpala area of Oko, collapsed in the early hours of Monday, July 27, 2026. The building was primarily occupied by students of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko.

Rescue operations involving police, state emergency management officials, fire services, and volunteers began immediately and were ongoing throughout the day. According to the Anambra State Police Command spokesperson, Superintendent Tochukwu Ikenga, a joint security team mobilized to the scene after receiving a distress call, secured the area, and coordinated the response. He confirmed that some injured victims had been rescued from the debris and transported to a local hospital in Oko for medical treatment. The exact number of casualties, injured persons, or those still trapped could not be immediately confirmed as workers continued to carefully clear the wreckage.

Eyewitnesses described a scene of panic and confusion following a loud noise that preceded the collapse. One...