Church collapse: Government orders contractor's arrest
Specifically, one of the personal assistants to the governor on media, Aniekeme Finbarr, who spoke with CNN’s correspondent Becky Anderson, said the governor gave the order on Sunday.
“They should be made to answer certain questions so that the state would be able to get to the root cause of the matter,” the governor was quoted as saying.
The governor’s call came on the heels of a similar call by the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, for a probe of the disaster.
Saraki, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, on Sunday, commiserated with the people of Akwa Ibom over the incident.
He also called for investigation into the cause of the collapse.
While praying for speedy recovery for those still receiving medical attention in hospitals, he called for “urgent and thorough investigation to determine both the remote and immediate causes of the building collapse."
One of the survivors, Eno Etim, who spoke with Punch, said the building collapsed after a lady was called to lead the praise worship.
Etim said there was no foreboding of the monumental disaster that was waiting to happen.
The housewife, who spoke shortly before she was moved out of the St. Luke’s General Hospital, Annua, Uyo, to the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, said the congregation was dancing when the church collapsed.
She said that she could not recall how she landed in the hospital, adding that an iron bar hit her at the back, sending her reeling on the floor before she passed out.
Explaining that she was not a member of the church, Etim said she had come to witness the ordination of the presiding pastor of the church, Akan Weeks, as a bishop, because they both belong to the United Intercessors Network.
She said, “I was inside the church. Everything was normal; there was no problem. A lady was called to lead the praise worship session; the governor came in shortly after that. As the praise worship was going on, the building fell and I didn’t know how I got here.
“The iron fell on my back forcing me to fall on the ground with my face down.
“I don’t worship in the church. I worship in the United Intercessors Network, which Bishop Akan Weeks also belong to. I don’t live in Uyo. I came all the way from Oron.”
Another victim, 22-year-old Emen Akpanitiat, said the building came down when the congregation embarked on praise worship when the governor came in.
Akpanitiat said the building collapsed while the congregation was dancing, singing preparatory to offering collection.
She said, “It was when the governor came and people started dancing. I’m in pains. The doctor said I’m going to be moved to the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital.”
How Governor Emmanuel escaped – AideAn aide to the governor, Essien Nduese, has revealed how the governor narrowly escaped from the disaster.
Nduese, who is a Personal Assistant to the governor on Media, said an iron bar fell and shattered the seat the governor was sitting on.
He debunked the insinuation that one of the governor’s aides was killed in the disaster, revealing that it was the man, who was handling the microphone during the event that was killed.
The PA said the deceased was not on the entourage of the governor and was not in the employ of the state government.
“The governor did not run; he simply saw the falling iron coming, it stopped half way, then he walked out.”
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