Dunamis Church, situated at Mission Ward North Bank in Makurdi, Benue State, has collapsed, leaving a pastor dead.
The incident occurred on Tuesday morning when the resident pastor and three other members were observing prayers.
The three other pastors were said to have escaped unhurt while the pastor was trapped and killed by the wreckage.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Benue State Police Command, Anene Sewuese Catherine, confirmed the incident saying: “Only one person has been confirmed dead for now”, she said.
State Commissioner of Police, Batholomew Onyeka, also confirmed the incident while briefing newsmen in his office at the Command Headquarters in Makurdi.
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Witnesses noted that the church held a service on Monday night and that the pastor was left behind with few others who were praying.
“Following the rainfall afterwards, they couldn’t leave back to their homes so they continued in their prayers when suddenly the church building collapsed at about 3am today (Tuesday) and killed the pastor,” a witness simply identified as Kole narrated to Daily Trust.
Another resident of the area said four persons who were praying alongside the deceased pastor sustained injuries and have been taken to the hospital.
The resident said the pastor whose name he declined to mention hailed from the eastern part of Kogi State and was married to an Akwa Ibom woman.
Meanwhile, the Benue State Governor Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia has vowed to hold the church officials and the supervising ministry – which allowed the structural contravention of erecting the structure – responsible for the incident.
Governor Alia made this known during his visit to the collapsed building premises where he ordered the evacuation of all those living in the adjourning buildings and along the waterways.
This is to avoid multiple casualties as parts of the church auditorium still hang in the balance.
On its part, the Council for the Regulation of Engineers (COREN) led by Engineer Terna Mom that preliminary investigation indicates that the construction work lacks engineering design.
According to him, the structure does not meet the requirements of metal roofing as used by those who built the auditorium.
During his visit to the scene, the senior pastor of the church, Paul Enenche pledged immediate reforms in the church building projects to strengthen all the processes required for public safety.
Pastor Enenche commiserated with the family of the late pastor, the body of Christ, and the state government over the development.
He expressed a personal loss in the wake of the collapse, describing the late cleric as a hard-working and dedicated member of the body of Christ.
