Benin – Building collapse: death of the apprentice mason, the owner arrested

A building under construction collapsed on the night of July 23, 2025, in Togbin Fandji, in the municipality of Abomey-Calavi, causing the death of a young apprentice bricklayer. The owner of the building, who admitted to having built without a permit or preliminary study, was arrested by the police and prosecuted by the Ministry of Living Conditions.

On the night of Wednesday, July 23, 2025, around midnight, a tragedy occurred in Togbin Fandji, in the municipality of Abomey-Calavi. A R+3 type building under construction collapsed, trapping an apprentice bricklayer under its rubble. Alerted, the Godomey police station dispatched a team to the site, in coordination with rescue workers and the prosecutor’s office. Upon their arrival, law enforcement observed the total collapse of the structure.

Despite the efforts of the local population to find the victim in the rubble, the lack of appropriate equipment limited the interventions. Early on Thursday morning, a construction company mobilized a machine to clear the rubble at the police request. The young worker, found alive but seriously injured, was transferred to the CNHU in Cotonou, where he unfortunately passed away a few hours later.

Arbitrary construction, without permit or technical study

The cause of the tragedy was quickly identified and revealed to be a violation of basic construction rules. The owner, initially untraceable, later presented himself to the police as part of the investigation. He admitted to have started the work four years ago, without architectural studies or ground survey, and most importantly without a construction permit. This is a severe contravention of decree 2023-617 of December 6, 2023, which strictly regulates the issuance of building permits in Benin.

A complaint lodged, justice is informed

Worse, the man attempted to deflect responsibility onto his neighbor who is also under construction. This was contradicted by the master bricklayer’s statement, whose explanations cast serious doubts on the professionalism of the team in charge of the work.

Given the seriousness of the facts, the Ministry of Living Conditions and Transportation has lodged a complaint against the building’s owner. The latter has been handed over to the justice system for accountability. Authorities have vowed to continue investigations to determine all responsibilities, including those related to the supervision of construction sites in the municipality.

This tragic event highlights the dangers related to unauthorized construction, too frequent in rapidly expanding urban outskirts. The government calls for strict enforcement of current legislation and vigilance on urbanization by the populations.