Evangelist Ayobami Adeleke, his wife, and their children have lost their educational certificates in an inferno that ravaged a section of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Oke-Agbara Road, Olorunda-Aba, in Lagelu Local Government Area during an annual Christmas Carol service on Friday night.
Additionally, other valuables worth millions of naira were destroyed in the incident.
The congregation, who were in high spirits at the commencement of the programme, were singing and dancing to the glory of God, unaware that tragedy was looming.
Adeleke, who is still coming to terms with the incident, disclosed that he has lost his educational certificates, as well as those of his wife and children.
“It is as if I am in a dream. Nobody foresaw it, but we give thanks to God that no life was lost,” he said.
“As you see me now, I don’t have any other clothes apart from the one I am wearing. My wardrobe is empty. My certificate and that of my wife, daughter, and other valuables have been lost to the incident.
“We cannot ascertain the root cause of the fire. We just heard a deafening noise while we were inside the auditorium.
“We were rounding off the carol service when the incident happened. All the members scampered for safety.
“The fire affected the children’s church and other apartments, including the one where my family and I stayed.
“As I speak, there is nowhere for me to stay,” he lamented.
The cleric, however, expressed gratitude that no lives were lost, though valuables worth millions of naira were destroyed.
Confirming the incident, the General Manager of Oyo State Fire Services, Revd. Akinyemi Akinyinka, said, “Oyo State Fire Services Agency received a distress call at exactly 21:50hrs on Friday, December 13, 2024, reporting a house fire at the above address.”
“Immediately, the address was taken, and a crew of personnel was deployed to the scene of the incident.
“On arrival at the place, it was an adjoining mission house already well alight. We quickly swung into action and restricted the fire from spreading to the main church building, where the carol was going on during the fire incident,” said Revd. Akinyemi Akinyinka, General Manager of Oyo State Fire Services.
“The mission house was affected by fire, and we were able to save the main church building and other nearby buildings.
“No life was lost, but property worth millions of naira was lost, and we were able to save properties worth billions of naira.
“The investigation is still ongoing to determine the root cause of the incident. However, eyewitnesses made us understand that during the incident, the yearly carol program was going on at the main church building when the fire incident happened at the mission house, where children were playing.
“It was likely that the children were playing with open fire unattended to.”
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