. “The new owner of the building asked the tenants to vacate the place and he refunded some of them. But the pastor-in-charge of the church reportedly refused to leave on the grounds that the church’s rent would expire in February 2022.”
. “During the church service, he authorised the removal of a pillar in the building”
A church building has collapsed in Okpanam community of Delta State causing bickering between the Chirch and the landlord of the building housing the church.
Platforms Africa reports that the Church collapsed during service in Okpanam in the Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State on Tuesday.
The one-storey building collapsed around 6pm while worshippers of Salvation Ministries, Okpanam, were observing a 21-day fasting and prayer.
The church’s children section was said to have been affected and children trapped during service.
It was gathered that the church building in existence for over 10 years was initially designed as a plaza before the church occupied the upper chamber and remodelled to suit its use.
It caved in while it was undergoing reconstruction by a new owner who recently bought the property.
It was also alleged that the new owner of the building asked the tenants to vacate the place and he refunded some of them.
The tenants were said to have vacated the building. But the pastor-in-charge of the church reportedly refused to leave on the grounds that the church’s rent would expire in February 2022. The development was said to have triggered the owner of the property to commence reconstruction at the building before its collapse.
The church is one of the branches of the church led by Pastor David Ibiyeomie based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. A statement by the church when Ibiyeomie visited the injured in a hospital indicated that the owner of the building authorised the removal of a pillar in the structure during church service.
The statement was titled, “Press release on the building collapse at Okpanam, Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria as Senior Pastor, David Ibiyeomie visits victims at the hospital.”
It read in part, “Following the collapse of a rented church building by Salvation Ministries in Okpanam, Delta State emerging facts reveal that: The facility, whose rent was renewed in November 2021, was sold with its subsisting tenancy in December 2021. The new owner without prior notice to the tenants, Salvation Ministries, entered the church facility to take custody of the building.
“The church, shocked by the development, approached its landlord, the former owner, who confirmed the sale of the building and offered to refund the subsisting rent.Attempts by the church authorities to negotiate with the new owner did not yield any result as he was adamant on recovering his property. Things came to a head, when during the church service he authorised the removal of a pillar in the building.”
The church in the statement said the action of the new owner of the building was the immediate cause of the collapse which resulted in avoidable losses.
The church called on the state government and the Nigerian Police to invite the new owner of the building in the course of their investigations on the cause of the incident.
