After the ever bubbling Synagogue Church was dramatically thrown into a
simmering confusion as a result of the collapse of the Church’s foreign
guest house building where more than 80 people have been reportedly
killed, people from far and near have continued to throng the place to
see the extent of the damage.
While some were there to find their friends and loved ones who either
are members of the church or workers in the vineyard of God, others have
come to show solidarity to the man of God.
As some foreigners were seen waiving their country’s flags in solidarity
for the founder of the church, Pastor TB Joshua, a middle aged woman
made a desperate dash from one corner to another in search of her son
trapped in the collapsed hostel building on Wednesday.
She mumbled just a few words in prayer: ‘God forbid he was there’, as
the tractor pulled out some debris laced with human clothes. Fears,
tension was in the air as wailing and shout of ‘Jesus’ took over the
area. Security operatives had a hectic time controlling the surging
crowd just as rescue work continue day and night.
However, the last may not have been heard about the
Figures of bodies recovered from the debris of the
building. Before press time, Vanguard gathered that over 30 Church
workers who were cleaners and house keepers were still trapped in the
building. These workers were said to have gone into the building early
on Friday morning to carry out their daily duties and since have not
been found.
We gathered that some friends and relatives of the hostel workers who
saw them before the incidence had called their telephones lines but
without success.
Some of them were seen with their hands folded to their chest even as they combated the stench that oozed out of the rubble.
A by-stander perceived to be member of the church said over 50 young men
and women work in the building daily, adding that no fewer than 30 of
them had gone inside the building for their usual house keeping before
the collapse that Friday. He added that none of them has been rescued.
“We have tried to call the telephones of some of them but their lines
were not going through. I think they are still trapped in the debris,”
he said.
When asked to say more on the workers, he said the atmosphere was tensed
and could not say anything further. “ Most of these people you are
seeing here are relatives and friends of the church workers searching
for their loved ones.
“Some of them went into the building to work on that faithful day but
have not returned since then and their dead bodies have not been seen,
so, talking to you would be difficult for now. It is possible that they
are alive.”
As at the Wednesday, the death toll had risen to 80 with the recovery of
additional 17 victims comprising of 12 women and five men, bringing the
total number of survivors at 131. Since rescue workers have not gone to
the last level of excavation, more bodies could still be recovered.
As the caterpillars excavated the debris, oozing stench rent the air,
lending credence to the assumption that more victims are still trapped
under the rubble. During the excavation Wednesday, our reporters saw
clothes and other personal effects belonging to the victims in the
debris.
The collapsed building
Vanguard gathered that the hostel which was basically renovated to
accommodate more members have the capacity to accommodate 400 people. We
also gathered that no fewer than 200 people mainly foreigners would
have been trapped in the rubble.
Further investigation revealed that registration processes for
accommodation in the building were done online and the payment made
annually. Informed sources disclosed that after registration, assessment
of the individual would be done for security purpose before approval is
given. Tenancy is reviewed annually, source said.
It is no longer news that the collapsed building was a two-floor
building before more floors were added, a development many said could
have caused the collapse.
TB Joshua’s four Wise men
Close source and member of the church disclosed that Pastor TB Joshua’s
only duty was to preach in the church while issues about miracles are
carried out with the aid of those he called the four-wise men. The
identity of these four wise men are not known but source indicated that
two of them are foreigners. According to him, they are:
Wise man Racine Bousso, Senegal, Wiseman Daniel Emelandu, Nigeria, Wise man Christopher Orji, Nigeria and Wiseman Harry, Greece.There
duties are to lay hands on people, carry out some healing with the
anointing of Pastor Joshua himself. He stated that the Pastor delegated
the duties after founding these men worthy of carrying out miracles.
Thousands of miracle-seeking people flock to the Synagogue of All
Nations every week. They come from home and abroad. Many visit for
healing and vision. Pastors also throng the place, seeking power of
anointing and healing.
Accommodation business
The tragedy may have opened another revelation to the accommodation
problem in the area and how people eke out living from their properties.
We gathered that apart from the Church controlled hostels, landlords
have turned their houses and apartments into chalets for rents to
miracle seekers who come from afar to the church.
We gathered that worshipers seeking accommodation outside the
church-controlled hostel pay as much as N4000 to N3000 per night while
those who cannot afford the money sleep on the floor of the Segun Irefin
street, outside the church building.
We gathered that the business booms for landlords as many of them were
said to have abandoned their other source of livelihood to rent out
apartments and rooms to worshipers. Some of them who spoke to us
confirmed that it was a thriving business in the area.
“The collapsed building has not affected the business. Many people still come seeking accommodation”
One house agent who simply identified herself as Mama Chichi, said: “the
business has never recorded any low patronage. The building collapse
did not affect any business in this area. We have been going about our
normal businesses. People still believe in the man of God and they still
come for their services,”. “ It did not even affect the prices of the
accommodation. The least house we have here goes for N3000 for a night.”
Again, on Opeloyeru Street, in the neighborhood, there are two guest
houses named Villa Bound Pilgrims Hostels situated at the beginning and
at the end. They were all quiet and seemed deserted without guests. It
was gathered that some people who came from far and near to worship at
Synagogue checked into the hostels. It was dull as many residents were
unwilling to talk.
Other businesses
A food vendor said that they recorded a lot of sales last Sunday as the
church did not offer their worshipers the normal meal they used to serve
during Sunday services because of the tragedy. “We sold very well that
day. Most people that came for worship came to us for meal because, the
building that was affected, part of it was used for their canteen. When
we saw what happened, we quickly prepared enough food knowing that the
church will not be able to serve members because of what happened.
Neighbours react
A man lamented that some enemies of Pastor Joshua were at work.
Although, I am not a member of the church I watch the man on television
and see what he does. He is the messiah of our time. I am a member of
Charismatic Renewal Church, but I believe in this man and I love his
Ministry. He has been empowering people and changed the lives of the
less privileged including the poor, widows, physically challenged among
others.
At Segun Irefin Street, another resident expressed shock, accusing the
devil of being responsible for the disaster. “Satan does not like the
good work the church is doing here. So they want to spoil and damage it.
But God won’t allow evil to triumph over good. I was not in the church
last Sunday. I’ve come to see the place. But the police prevented me
from entering the site. Satan is a liar,” the young woman concluded.
An engineer who resides in the area said: “I believe it was a structural
failure. When you overload a structure with additional ones, it will
sink. The base gave way and the building collapsed. If there was a plane
which hovered above, that should be left to the aviation authority to
find out.”
It was in reaction of Joshua’s claim that a terror attack might have
been responsible for the collapse, saying that a plane had hovered
around the complex before the collapse.
By Vanguard's Emmanuel Edukugho, Ishola Balogun, Ebun Sessou, Anozie Egole and Aderonke Adeyeri