- Fire erupts from collapsed building
This was even as the death toll in the incident is now 49 while the survivors’ figure still stands at 130.
The state Police Commissioner, Mr Kayode Aderanti, has ordered the release of five dogs to facilitate recovery of bodies still buried under the rubbles.
Speaking with our correspondent, the Director of Lagos Fire Service, Mr Rasak Fadipe, said the fire emanated from items under the rubbles. Fadipe said the items might have generated too much heat before the fire broke out.
He said: “During the course of search and rescue operation at the scene of the collapsed building items under the rubbles generated excessive heat and resulted into fire outbreak.
Our standby officials at the site were able to contain it.” The spokesperson of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ibrahim Farinloye, said the police sniffer dogs would assist in the search and rescue effort.
He said: “The commissioner of police has ordered the release of five dogs after a collective decision to use the dogs by responding agencies. NEMA asked the Police Disaster Management unit to manage the dogs.”
However, a video footage released by the church showing aircraft hovering over the church building before it collapsed, has generated a serious debate in the state. While the state government and NEMA had earlier disagreed with the church over the video, the residents are also divided.
Some people doubted the authenticity of the video, claiming that it was not possible for individuals to launch ‘the attack’ on the church. They said it must have been manipulated and stage-managed to deceive the public.
The people described the video as a ploy to divert public and government attention from illegality said to be rampart in the construction of buildings on the church premises.
A resident, Jacobs Onafunwa, said the video clip watched by many residents on Youtube, was real and urged the Federal Government to look into the allegation. He said: “The situation in the country has called for caution.
Many things we thought were never possible before are now happening. Nobody ever thought we could have suicide bombers in the country but we now have.”
But for Mr Segun Fijabi, an engineer, government must also commence immediate investigation into the history of the collapsed building with a view to finding out if the due process was followed in its construction.
He said: “We like deceiving ourselves in this country. Why should we believe such claims? We should first ask why and how the building was erected in the first place.
Was the building approved? Was it built to specifications? How come the additional floors were added to the existing building without adjustments as report in the media?”
Meanwhile, the state government said it was yet to get evidence of building approval for the collapsed guest house and other structures added to the existing building on the church premises.
Also, the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) yesterday urged the Federal and Lagos State Governments to investigate and account for the identities of the helicopter and strange plane which flew low over the collapsed building four times within 24 minutes.
In a statement issued its National President and National Treasurer, Comrade Sunny Enenuvwedia and Deji Adebowale, CDHR asked the government to also find out the mission and those responsible for the helicopter and plane.
The committee said if this was not done, it would call on the African Union and the United Nations to compel the Federal Government to do so.
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