Nigerian church collapse caused by 'structural faults,' regulators reveal
The church collapse that killed at least 160 people in the Nigerian state of Akwa Ibom was caused by structural faults, according to regulators.
The roof of the Reigners Bible Church International in Uyo collapsed on Dec. 10 as the congregants gathered for the ordination of its founder, Akan Weeks, as a bishop. The witnesses said that the church was still under construction, and the workers rushed to complete it for the event.
The regulators said that authorities have repeatedly ordered the construction to stop, but they were ignored. The engineers who were involved in the construction have been asked to surrender to the police, BBC reported.
Weeks, who sustained a leg injury, has issued a statement pleading with the members of the church not to blame him for the tragedy. He said that he is no longer interested in the ordination, and he promised to pray for with the congregants as soon as he is out of the hospital.
"Now, people are crucifying me but no one should crucify me. I am more interested in the souls of the people I have laboured for to bring to God over the years since my tender age," said the pastor, according to Pulse.
"I was injured in the leg too. Please, this is not the time to crucify me; I'm still your brother. Reigners Church family, I'm still your pastor. The enthronement was canceled completely and I am not interested," he added.
The pastor received the blame for the incident after a newspaper reported that he allegedly ignored a "stop work" order by the Uyo Capital City Development Authority (UCCDA).
The report also alleged that Weeks refused to submit documents such as the building plan, structural design, and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to the UCCDA.
Several government officials, including Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, have sent their message of condolences to the victims of the collapse.
The state government noted that there are conflicting figures of dead persons published in the media. Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dominic Ukpong, said last week that 26 people were certified dead by the medical team.
He added that the government does not intend to conduct a mass burial for the victims. He assured the relatives that the bodies will be released as soon as the panel formed by the government concludes its investigation on the incident.