In a dramatic overnight operation that tested the limits of human endurance and emergency response, 27-year-old Aliyu Salisu from Niger Republic was pulled alive from the wreckage of a collapsed three-storey building in Abuja’s Lifecamp area – a miraculous survival story that has captured the nation’s attention.
The near-tragedy unfolded on Saturday evening when the structure came crashing down without warning, trapping the young man beneath tons of concrete and steel. What followed was a tense, ten-hour race against time that brought together an unlikely alliance of police, emergency responders, and private construction giants in a display of coordinated rescue efforts rarely seen in the capital.
According to FCT Police Spokesperson Josephine Adeh, the lifeline came at 6:15pm through a frantic distress call that mobilized an immediate multi-agency response. The Divisional Police Officer of Lifecamp spearheaded the operation, cordoning off the disaster zone while teams from the National Emergency Management Agency, FCT Development Control, Zeberced Construction Company, and Julius Berger Nigeria Plc worked in synchronized precision through the night.
As dawn broke at 4am on Sunday, the exhausted rescue crews erupted in cheers when they finally reached Salisu, remarkably conscious despite his prolonged entombment. Medics on site stabilized the survivor before rushing him to Cedar Crest Hospital in Gudu, where doctors report he is responding well to treatment – a medical outcome that borders on miraculous given the circumstances.
FCT Commissioner of Police Ajao Adewale, who personally supervised the grueling operation, praised the collaborative effort while sounding a cautionary note to Abuja residents. “This incident reminds us all to remain vigilant about structural safety in our communities,” the commissioner stated, urging citizens to report emergencies through the command’s 24/7 hotlines: 0803 200 3913 and 0806 158 193.
While investigators have yet to determine the cause of the collapse, the successful rescue operation stands as a testament to Abuja’s evolving emergency response capabilities. For Aliyu Salisu – now recovering under medical care – the episode marks a second chance at life, pulled literally from the jaws of death by a united front of Nigerian responders who refused to give up.
