Prophet blames terrorists for deadly collapse at church construction site

At least 40 people were killed when a building under construction at the Lagos headquarters of one of Nigeria’s best-known Christian evangelical pastors collapsed, rescue officials said on Saturday. The disaster happened when a two-storey building, reportedly a guesthouse for foreign followers of “Prophet” T.B. Joshua’s Synagogue Church of All Nations, was having three additional floors built. More than 100 people were hurt when the building collapsed on Friday at the compound in the Ikotun neighborhood belonging to the Synagogue Church of All Nations. The church initially prevented emergency services officials from participating in the rescue work, making it difficult to establish a toll for the dead and injured. The church has since claimed the collapse was the work of terrorists.

In a few weeks, the truth behind the collapsed building will be revealed. The last time the Boko Haram issue occurred, the press were against the church including the police but after some weeks, the truth behind the attack was revealed.

T.B. Joshua, general overseer of the Synagogue Church of All Nations

T.B. Joshua, dubbed “The Prophet”, has an almost fanatical following among Nigerians and across the world, attracted by his purported healing powers and prophecies. Joshua preaches to massive crowds at his megachurch in Ikotun every week and, according to his website, SCOAN “hosts thousands of national and international visitors” each year. The website of Nigeria’s The Guardian newspaper quoted Joshua as saying that a low-flying plane that had been repeatedly circling the building may have been responsible for the collapse.

Africa TB Joshua