Uyo church building collapse: Founder, other victims narrate ordeals •As death toll rises to 29 •How I escaped —Ini Edo-TRIBUNE
host to influx of victims arising from the weekend collapse of the Reigners International Church building, sympathisers have turned the medical facilities into Mecca of some sort.
Shocking scenes of angry people still trying to come to terms with the situation could be observed at the University of Uyo Teaching hospital (UUTH); Anua General Hospital; Life Care Hospital and the Ibom Specialist Hospital, all in Uyo.
Speaking from an undisclosed hospital, the founder of the church, Akan Weeks, who claimed to have sustained serious injuries, blamed the incident on the devil trying to bring division into the church and appealed for forgiveness and the repose of the souls of those who died in the incident.
To the Reigners family, Weeks begged: Please don’t crucify me, I am still your brother and your pastor” and urged Chrstians to rise with prayers against every forces trying to sow the seed of division in the body of Christ. “This battle is between the forces of darkness and the church,” he stressed and enjoined church faithful to pray fervently to overcome the war.
From the Ibom Specialist Hospital, Ekerete Udoh, Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Governor, was full of praises to God for sparing his life. “I would have been a dead man today if not for God. The pillars were coming directly on my head but somehow they hit my back and my legs twisted back. I was rushed immediately for medical care.”
The Commissioner for Information, Charles Udoh, said “I saw the pillars coming down like a movie scene, but I was not scared. I was actually trying to rush out and catch a flight and just as I stood up to take permission from my governor, I saw the roof coming down. The first thing was to avoid the main pillar from hitting me and the second option was to try to get in-between the iron rods.
“When it was like the thing was to hit my head, I picked up a chair and it slammed the chair from my hand and landed on my head. I was still standing and then my phones dropped off. It was when I went down to find my phone that I realised that my face was covered with blood…,” he recalled.
Ekere Nkanga, a prominent movie actor, was full of praises for the God Almighty for sparing his life at a close shave with death. “We were about going into the main event, when we heard ‘kom.’ From the moment we heard the sound, the same moment, we started seeing corpses the next 10 seconds.
Then, something told me, if you run from this area, you are going to be trapped. So, I was trying to dodge and people were pushing me out, God made me dive under humans and few seconds later, when I was trying to wake up, I saw a dismembered body of a man on me, then I picked him up and gave to the next man.
“People were searching furiously for their relatives and loved ones, but I was busy searching for my brother. I tried to help in lifting the rubbles to search for my brother and other survivors, then I realised I had a broken neck from the impact of the dive….,” he movie star explained.
Worst hit were young students from nearby institutions like the University of Uyo, about a kilometer to the church and the Uyo City Polytechnic, a neighbour to the church.
When Nigerian Tribune visited the Polytechnic, students were seen in mournful mood over the demise of some of their colleagues.
Udeme Emmanuel, an HND 11 student of the institution, managed to confide in our correspondent that “the institution has lost some young undergraduates to the accident.”
“Personally I have lost my classmate, who was very dear to my heart. She was one of the first three brilliant chaps in my class.
“When I entered the class this afternoon, I saw her seat and I was very scared to go near that corner. I am still yet to come to terms that my friend and classmate, Josephine Effiom, is no more,” she said amid tears rolling down her cheeks.
Meanwhile, the number of people who died in the incident, has risen to 29, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has reported.
The state Police Commissioner, CP Murtala Mani, confirmed this in Uyo, on Monday, while speaking with NAN correspondent.
NAN had earlier reported that 27 died as of Sunday, while 37 persons, who suffered from various degrees of injury were receiving treatment in designated hospitals.
The latest figure now shows that 35 persons injured are currently receiving treatment.
The police commissioner said, “the remaining 35 persons are responding to treatment.”
He, however, declined to confirm whether any member of the Akwa Ibom Executive Council (Exco) was involved.
“I don’t know of any Exco member involved,” Mani said.
He said he was not aware of the arrest of the contractor and the engineers that handled the church building project.
NAN reported that in a statewide broadcast on Sunday, while condoling the victims’ families, the state governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, had ordered the arrest the contractor that handled of the church building.
Emmanuel had also ordered investigation into the causes of the building collapse during a worship session, where the governor himself, who was in attendance, escaped unhurt.
The governor was the special guest of honour at the bishopric consecration service of the church founder, Apostle Akan Weeks.
The church, sited on Uyo Village Road, near Government House, is alleged to have been hastily completed to allow for the hosting of bishopric enthronement of the founder.
But for divine intervention, popular Nollywood actress, Ini Edo, would have been a victim of the collapsed church building in Uyo.
The roof of the Reigners Bible Church in Uyo, caved in during an ordination service on Saturday, klling at least 29 people.
Hundreds of worshippers, including the state governor, Udom, were present when the incident occurred.
Ini Edo, who is the Special Assistant to the Akwa Ibom State Governor on Tourism, attributed her lucky escape to a missed flight to Uyo.
She shared her “testimony” with her 1.6 million Instagram followers.
“Two days ago, I was very bitter about the unreliable nature of some of our airlines cancelling flights without prior notice, thereby hindering my plans to attend a church service ceremony held in Uyo. Now out of determination, I took a flight to Calabar with the hope of being in Uyo just in time for the service since the journey between Calabar and Uyo was just about an hour. The journey ended up taking over seven hours because of an unexplainable traffic.
“No accident, good road no hitches just a headlock traffic. Whilst in the car, I started wondering why all my efforts to be at the service was being thwarted… then I got a call, that the entire church building had collapsed during the course of the service. Once again, God had saved me..( My heart goes out to the families of the departed. May the good Lord grant them the heart to bear the loss.( Every day we see is a blessing. It’s not because we are special or better. It’s the exceeding Grace of our Lord Jesus. I am so humbled and grateful to God for preserving me… Happy thanksgiving.”
Chairman of the governing board of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, on Monday, commiserated with Governor Udom and the good people of Akwa Ibom State, on the tragic incidence of the collapse of Reigners Bible Church International in Uyo.
Ndoma-Egba, in a statement by C. Clara Braide, his Special Adviser (Communication), wished the injured speedy recovery.
He also prayed for the peaceful repose of souls of the departed faithful, while praying God to grant their families the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
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