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TB Joshua Followers ‘Attacked’ Rescuers At Collapsed Building
Lagos -Followers of one of Nigeria’s most popular preachers attacked emergency service workers, preventing them from accessing the site of a deadly building collapse, an inquest was told on Wednesday.
“The first three days [after the collapse] were marred by the so-called church sympathisers and the crowd,” said the head of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Femi Oke-Osanyintolu.
“By the time we attained momentum after 96 hours a lot of things had gone bad.”
A total of 116 people, 84 of them South Africans, were killed when a guesthouse for foreign followers of TB Joshua’s Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) collapsed in Lagos on 12 September.
“No effective crowd control”
Joshua, known to his congregation as “The Prophet” and “The Man of God”, was scheduled to give evidence at the coroner’s inquest into the tragedy.
But the self-styled miracle worker, who claims that he can see the future, was not in court, despite the coroner having warned that he faced arrest if he did not appear.
Osanyintolu told the hearing that it was only after the intervention of the Lagos State governor that rescue workers could get to the stricken building on the sprawling SCOAN compound.
The LASEMA general manager said there was “no effective crowd control” in the aftermath of the collapse, which engineers have blamed on the addition of extra floors to the guesthouse.
“The crowd impeded our operation. They did not allow our personnel and equipment to come in. They frustrated the emergency workers at the scene,” he added.
Rescue workers
Instead of allowing trained rescue workers with specialist equipment to search for survivors, only church members and volunteers were allowed to pick through the rubble, he said.
“There were restrictions of emergency responders to the scene of the collapse. On the first day, we were assaulted, especially my humble self,” he continued.
“We were not allowed to do documentation. Photographs of the incident were not allowed.
“We asked for the manifest to know the number and identities of the people in the building, we were not given. We asked for the building plan, we were not given.”
Expert witnesses at the hearing have previously ruled out sabotage from a low-flying aircraft or an explosion, as suggested by Joshua and SCOAN members.
Osanyintolu, a medical doctor, also rejected the theory: “On observation, bodies were not mutilated. They were not disjointed… the bodies were not burned.”
The court has heard that the guesthouse did not have planning permission and that other structures on the site, including the church’s main auditorium, were structurally defective.
- AFP
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Down with TB Joshua
November 5, 2014 at 9:02 pm
What’s new???
pastor bling bling
November 5, 2014 at 9:07 pm
man of god my foot, he’s the man of money god
wolfs in sheep clothing
November 5, 2014 at 9:13 pm
The bible encourages prophets not to be lovers of money and all earthly things as their rewards is in heaven. This new breed of con-men prophets like tb joshua only preach about getting rich.
Judge Joe Bidden
November 5, 2014 at 9:15 pm
Aaah TUMFWEKO this is old News actually that’s part of evidence that was presented in court also against TB Joshua. Right now you should be reporting about the DNA tests results awaited for IDing victims b4 repatriation of bodies.
Sori
November 5, 2014 at 9:16 pm
The people who follow this nutcase are just as insane as he is.
Hon Katapula
November 7, 2014 at 6:23 pm
My mind your language my brother.
Sa´´puka
November 5, 2014 at 9:19 pm
sad how people fall for this rubbish
MJ banda
November 6, 2014 at 2:55 am
They did well to attack them before they blow up bombs cause TB is a member of boko haram.
katman
November 6, 2014 at 6:14 am
He needs to exculpate himself.
Zick
November 6, 2014 at 7:00 am
Tumfweko why bring old issues?
Joseph Mwaula
November 6, 2014 at 9:40 am
If Joshua is the prophet of the living God he would have gave a warning befor 2kings 6:9-20 a prophet sees even in future.
Down with TB Joshua
November 6, 2014 at 1:49 pm
Rubbish!! What cave have you been hiding in?
MILES
November 7, 2014 at 9:22 am
He gave a prophecy on the 27th of July about “an incidence as close to his mouth”. He was actually the target and he says it is not over yet. The Nigerian military has been infiltrated by militants and this will soon come to light.
BON
November 6, 2014 at 10:45 am
BUT WHY IS HE RUNING AWAY?
Tb Joshua Akaponokwa
November 6, 2014 at 3:35 pm
The guilty are afraid!!
IF NOT
November 6, 2014 at 2:54 pm
HISTORY
MILES
November 7, 2014 at 9:14 am
Get the facts right. The defendant in this case is the Lagos state government, and NOT Prophet T.B Joshua, who have to explain why the building collapsed in their state killing so many people. The inquest is for fact finding only and Prophet T.B Joshua did not witness the collapse of the building himself and he has not received any court summons yet.
MILES
November 7, 2014 at 5:54 pm
LAGOS State Government yesterday told a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos that it initiated the Coroner’s inquest into the collapsed Synagogue building as a result of public outcry.
Meanwhile, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Ikotun Area Command , Haruna Alaba yesterday told the court that there were possibilities of sabotage leading to collapse of the Synagogue building.
MILES
November 7, 2014 at 5:56 pm
The DPO stated this while giving evidence before the Lagos State Coroner Court sitting in Ikeja presided over by Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe g.
Alaba said the church did a good job before his arrival at the scene, adding, “At the time of my arrival to the scene, members of the church were of great assistance to the rescue workers I saw on ground carrying out rescue operations. In fact, the church brought so many ambulances to help rescue workers carrying out their operation. We had a hitch free rescue operation with all the rescue workers.”
MILES
November 7, 2014 at 5:57 pm
“There is the need to carry out investigation into possible sabotage as being the cause of the collapse. There are lots of security lapses which could have led to sabotage on the collapsed building. The aircraft seen on the day of the incident flew at a very low altitude across the guest house, and that drew our attention.’
He also told the court that investigation into the incident was still ongoing, adding that, the police were looking into possible sabotage on the collapsed building.
mj banda
November 7, 2014 at 5:58 pm
Its a lie
mj banda
November 7, 2014 at 6:02 pm
All lies from the so called man of god. Is there any wreckage of the aircraft?
MILES
November 7, 2014 at 6:11 pm
At the fifth sitting of the inquest held on Thursday, 30th October, 2014, two major witnesses struggled to convince the court with their submissions on the collapsed building. While undergoing cross-examination, the Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Toyin Ayinde, contradicted himself and was unable to explain why a building, which he said was not approved, could not be noticed prior to the demolition by the relevant agencies working directly under his ministry.
Under cross-examination by counsel to The SCOAN, Ojo Olalekan, Mr. Adedamola had agreed that the building, going by the first CCTV footage he watched, collapsed symmetrically typical of induced or controlled demolition. Moments later, while being cross-examined by counsel to the state, Akingbolahon Adeniran, he contradicted his earlier stance, claiming that after a second look at the CCTV footage, he had discovered that the building collapsed asymmetrically typical of structurally-deficient buildings.
MILES
November 7, 2014 at 6:12 pm
Furthermore, he agreed that a lack of building approval bears no semblance to its structural integrity. He said, “That a building does not have a plan is not a determinant of structural defects because there are buildings with plans officially that have collapsed. Yes, a building in Jakande Estate, Isolo recently collapsed due to structural defects even though it had a duly approved plan. When I watched the clips of the collapsed Synagogue building before the commencement of the coroner’s inquest, the building fell in one swoop which is typical of symmetric fall. I have heard of induced demolition but haven’t seen one before. In induced demolition, the building falls symmetrically as against asymmetric collapse, where a building falls due to structural defects. By this, the building collapses from the weakest point. However, the building I watched collapse in the CCTV footage didn’t tilt towards any weaker part”.