NIGERIA: Residents in Lagos recount moments before the church building collapse

Record ID: 236871

  • Title: NIGERIA: Residents in Lagos recount moments before the church building collapse
  • Date: 17th September 2014
  • Summary: LAGOS, NIGERIA (SEPTEMBER 17, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF RESCUE WORKERS AT BUILDING COLLAPSE SITE/BULLDOZER SORTING THROUGH DEBRIS CLOSE-UP OF BACK OF RESCUE OFFICIAL UNIFORM WITH INSCRIPTION READING: "LASEMA (LAGOS STATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY) SPLIT WOODEN BEAMS CEILING FAN VARIOUS OF DEBRIS AND RESCUE WORKERS ON SITE OF COLLAPSED BUILDING VARIOUS OF PEOPLE STANDING OUTSIDE A SHOP SIGN READING: "BEST SUPER STORES" CLOSE-UP OF SHOP OWNER JONATHAN NWANKWO CLOSE-UP OF SHOP SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (English) SUPERMARKET OWNER, JONATHAN NWANKWO, SAYING: "I was, I witnessed what happened there, even heaven and earth know, we all are here, we saw when the plane was moving all around even I personally, I ran away because I've never experienced this kind of movement of aircraft and the aircraft was ash colour, it's a... to me... I believe it's a navy plane." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING IN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (English) MUSICIAN, EVANGELIST WISDOM, SAYING: "I can say they really hate the man of God. Whenever they are hearing about Synagogue Church of All Nations, they hate the church and they... I believe it's the man of God they are trying to attack. It's not something about the church, it's just the man of God that they were trying to attack, to God be the glory that the man of God wasn't around here." VARIOUS OF STREET SCENE OUTSIDE CHURCH BUILDING
  • Embargoed: 2nd October 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: Disasters
  • Reuters ID: LVABV87H3SUUVUSUVZF170L0C9LL
  • Story Text: Residents in Nigeria's most populous city on Wednesday (September 17) recounted what they had seen when a church building collapsed last week.
    Seventy bodies have been recovered from the rubble of the collapsed Synagogue Church of All Nations in Lagos but remain unidentified, a Nigerian official said on Wednesday, questioning South Africa's assertion that 67 of the victims had come from there.
    South African President Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday (September 16) night that at least 67 of his compatriots had died in Friday's (September 12) accident, describing it as one of the worst tragedies in his country's recent history.
    The tragedy occurred when three extra stories were being added to the existing two of a guest house in the church compound, where visitors from abroad come to stay.
    Led by the charismatic "Prophet" T.B. Joshua, the Lagos Pentecostal church attracts a global following of Christians who believe Joshua is able to perform miracles including curing the ill and raising the dead from the grave.
    The regular influx of visitors from abroad for the church's services, which can last up to a week, creates demand for accommodation that the church's own guest house has been unable to meet, and often spills over into local hotels.
    Shop owner Jonathan Nwankwo said he had seen a strange aircraft flying around the guest house just before the incident occurred.
    "I was, I witnessed what happened there, even heaven and earth know, we all are here, we saw when the plane was moving all around even I personally, I ran away because I've never experienced this kind of movement of aircraft and the aircraft was ash colour, it's a... to me... I believe it's a navy plane," he said.
    Evangelist Wisdom, a musician, said he was happy that the pastor of the Synagogue church had escaped the incident.
    "I can say they really hate the man of God. Whenever they are hearing about Synagogue Church of All Nations, they hate the church and they... I believe it's the man of God they are trying to attack. It's not something about the church, it's just the man of God that they were trying to attack, to God be the glory that the man of God wasn't around here," he said.
    Members of the church had at first prevented emergency officials from participating in the rescue, making it difficult to establish a toll for the injured and dead, originally estimated at 41. State rescuers were allowed in on Saturday (September 13).
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