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My Daughter Buried In Rubble, S’African Mother Laments 10 Years After TB Joshua Church Collapse

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A South African mother, simply identified as Sonny, has shared her grief 10 years after her daughter, Princess Sibongile, was killed in the Synagogue Church of All Nations building collapse on September 12, 2014.

The mother, speaking with BBC Africa Eye, in a three-part investigation titled, “Disciples: The Cult of TB Joshua” disclosed that her daughter was buried under the rubble during the collapse.

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Sonny said her daughter decided to visit Nigeria on hearing of the several miracles performed by the late Prophet Temitope Joshua (TB Joshua).

She said, “My daughter Sibongile Princess, died on her first trip to the synagogue. She was looking forward to being there just like everyone that you see on TV. She still has her favourite teddy bear in her room, which she had asked her siblings to keep for her. She was such a perfectionist.

“We all saw the miracles every day on television and we thought that this could only be the hand of God.

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“However, on September 12, when I heard the news of the collapse, I tried to call my daughter, tried to send an SMS but there was no response. That was when I could not breathe. I could not sleep.”

READ ALSO: Nigeria Ranks 22nd Country With Cheapest Petrol – Report [FULL LIST]

The mother said she waited for days to get a call from the church on her daughter’s safety but got none till after five days.

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“I waited for days for a phone call to tell me of my daughter’s whereabouts. The next Sunday, TB Joshua came on a live service and said there was a bombing.

“On television, they were showing us that the building had been bombed and showing this aircraft.

“I heard from SCOAN after five days and they told me that they were afraid that my daughter did not make it. My daughter died in a place where I thought it was safe. Because the Bible says, ‘Bring your child in the way of the lord,’ I always made sure that my children were always in church. I did not know I was taking them to church to be killed. That part was one I was not expecting. My daughter was buried alive,” she said.

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Sonny’s son, Lwandle, also speaking, said his sister, fondly called Phumzile, was the golden child of the family.

READ ALSO: Supreme Court Grants FG Exclusive Control Of All Inland Waterways

“She was injured when she was at work. She had a back problem at work. She couldn’t get any assistance. Somebody referred her to this church in Nigeria, promising all these miracles and whatever.

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“There were all these news flashes coming in that this church building had collapsed with South Africans inside and they did not have any details and the whole family was panicking. When we asked for information, they could not give us anything concrete. We were only asked to wait and pray. How?

“A delegation from the church came and pronounced that my sister had passed on. I didn’t have the chance to say goodbye to her,” he said.

The PUNCH reported that on September 12, 2014, the six-storey building collapsed, killing at least 116 worshipers, mostly South Africans, who were having lunch on the ground floor.

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The then governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, who was at the scene ordered all church workers away to properly rescue trapped bodies.

The government also claimed the church did not get government approval before construction.

However, a few days later, Prophet Joshua appeared on a live telecast, alleging that the collapse was due to a strange aircraft which he claimed ‘hovered’ over the building hours before it went down.

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READ ALSO: Months After T.B Joshua’s Death, SCOAN In Crisis

A video released that day and published on YouTube also showed what looked like a plane flying around the building.

However, the coroner’s report found the cause to be due to structural failure and found Joshua ‘criminally liable’ for the deaths.

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Three government agencies – the Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria and the Building Collapse Prevention Guild – examined the site and found several inadequacies.

Part of the report read, “Inadequate beams of 750mm by 225mm (should have been 900mm by 300mm) were used.

“Inadequately reinforced columns (should have been reinforced with 12 x Y25 bars or 20 x Y20mm bars. Instead, they used 10 x Y20 bars (as seen in the video released by SCOAN) were also used.

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“Other structural failures include inadequate bearing pressure for the central column due to the 2m x 2m x 0.9m foundations; failure to introduce rigid zones for bracing the structure and did not design the frames as an unbraced structure; failure to provide movement joints that could have absorbed any movement due to creep, contraction, expansion and differential settlement etcetera; and eight out of the 12 main beams of the structure failed because they were undersized, under-reinforced (both in tension and shear), the tension bars were poorly anchored to the column supports and 8 x Y20 was used instead of 14 x Y20.”

However, Joshua failed to appear at a November 2015 hearing and the church lawyers were said to have filed multiple applications to stay the proceedings.

Until Joshua’s death on June 5, 2021, he was not prosecuted.

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Sanwo-Olu makes U-turn, Unblocks Lawyer Who Sued Him Over Blocking On X

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Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has unblocked human rights lawyer, Festus Ogun, on X after a meeting with him at Lagos House, Marina, on Friday.

The lawyer, who had accused the governor of rights violations, announced the development in a post on his X account on Saturday.

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According to him, Sanwo-Olu personally invited him for a brief meeting to address his complaints.

Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has unblocked me on X (Twitter). I met briefly with him yesterday at Lagos House Marina, on his invitation, to amicably resolve my complaint of human rights violations. We will continue to hold authorities accountable, regardless. Aluta continua!” Ogun wrote.

READ ALSO:Lawyer Sues Sanwo-Olu For Blocking Him On X

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Tribune Online reports that Ogun had earlier filed a suit against Sanwo-Olu at a Federal High Court in Lagos, accusing him of violating his fundamental rights by blocking him on his verified X account.

In the suit marked FHC/L/CS/1739/25, which he shared on Facebook, the lawyer claimed the governor blocked him over his 2021 “constructive criticisms” and “demand for accountability” on the October 2020 #EndSARS killings.

In 2021, I noticed that the Governor blocked me on his official X handle @jidesanwoolu owing to my constructive criticisms of his policies and demand for accountability in respect of the October 2020 #EndSARS Massacre.”

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READ ALSO:‘Court Of Corruption’ — Obasanjo Knocks INEC Chairman, Judiciary In New Book

Ogun said the action has prevented him from accessing vital government updates and information.

“Blocking me on X has prevented me from accessing public updates and receiving information about policies and governance in Lagos, which constitutes a violation of my right to receive information without interference,” he said.

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In his originating summons, he asked the court to declare the move unconstitutional, arbitrary, and discriminatory.

 

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Tragedy Deepens As Prime Suspect in Taraba Student’s Death Found Dead

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The investigation into the death of Comfort Jimtop, a 100-level Mass Communication student at Taraba State University, has taken a dramatic turn following the discovery of the lifeless body of Emmanuel Kefas, the prime suspect in the case.

Kefas’s body was discovered on Friday in the Tudiri community, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area, under unclear circumstances, intensifying public concern and adding a tragic dimension to a case that has already gripped the university community and residents across Taraba State.

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Confirming the development on Saturday, the spokesperson for the Taraba State Police Command, James Lashen, said the police received a report from the village head of Tudiri about the discovery.

READ ALSO:Army Kills Notorious Bandit, Babangida, In Kogi

A lifeless body was found in Tudiri, and a Tecno Android phone was recovered beside it,” Lashen stated.

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Upon charging the phone, investigators found a photograph showing the deceased with the late Comfort Jimtop, suggesting they were in a romantic relationship.”

Lashen added that the body has been taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Jalingo for autopsy. At the same time, efforts are ongoing to officially identify the remains through the suspect’s family.

READ ALSO:Four Feared Killed As Gunmen Attack Burial Ceremony In Anambra

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Police have yet to determine whether Kefas’s death was the result of suicide, homicide, or an accident. Investigations into both deaths are continuing.

Comfort Jimtop’s mysterious death had earlier sparked outrage on campus and across the state, with students and rights groups demanding justice. Kefas was named a prime suspect in the case, which remains open.

This latest development has left many unanswered questions and deepened the grief surrounding the case.

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Students, residents, and civil society groups are closely monitoring the situation, calling on authorities to ensure a thorough investigation and bring clarity to the tragic chain of events.

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Ossiomo, Chinese Impasse: This Is Our Story — Management

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The management of Ossiomo Power Plant has cleared the air on the dispute between its Chinese partners and the circumstances surrounding the shutting down of the power plant early this month.

Representative of Ossiomo management, Engineer Festus Evbuomwan, during an interactive session with customers on the impasse between the two partners, said contrary to the rumour making the rounds, the management of Ossiomo Power Plant had paid over ₦2bn to its Chinese partner — Jiangsu Communication Clean Energy Technology (CCETC) — since the power plant started operation.

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Recall that representative of CCETC who identified himself as Mr. ‘W’ had, during a telephone phone interview two weeks ago, claimed that “instruction to shutdown was because we lost lots of money and did not get any return on investment,” adding that “all the $20m investment was done by us including the distribution lines.”

But Evbuomwan during the interactive session, said the management was not aware of the $20m investment the Chinese partner claimed, just as he disclosed that “when they generate power, we sell and pay them.”

READ ALSO:Edo Govt Denies Shares As Ownership Tussle Rocks Ossiomo Power

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He disclosed that after shutting down the power plant, the Chinese partners came up with a request of ₦185m to be paid to two Chinese not known to the management, stressing that this was declined.

According to him, the Chinese partner, having seen how lucrative the business is, “went to some quarters and raised some issues probably thinking they can manoeuvre us with the help of some big persons, so that they can use their machines to generate power and sideline us but this is not possible.”

The Chinese partners also claimed that they borrowed $20m from their native land to invest, we are not aware of such investment, and we do not know where the money was invested up till now.

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“They have been also saying they have not been receiving anything, but I want to tell you unequivocally that first, the partners run a joint account where their investment is going into. More so, The Chinese partners have received over ₦2bn so far for the power they generate with their machines. When they generate the power, we sell and pay them.”

READ ALSO: Five Years After, Edo Govt Reconnects To BEDC As Ossiomo Shut Down

Engr. Evbuomwan, while apologising to customers for the power outage caused by the dispute between the two partners, said Ossiomo had started power generation though not in full capacity, assuring that power generation would be fully restored soon.

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“We have purchased turbines, and one have started working. They are working on the second one, so, by the time our five turbines start working we will be in full capacity. Even with that, those connected to the government may not be reached immediately. This is because the government bought the poles and contracted the wiring, and we cannot force the government to do our bid. Also, we are making efforts to site 33kva transformer along Airport Road and Lagos Road as soon as possible, so that our customers there will get power.”

He said the Edo State government does not have a stake in the company, just as he appealed to the “government to let us supply power to customers in through their Lines. I want to emphasise that Ossiomo is not completely shut down.”

He further urged the “government to encourage the Nigerian citizens to invest and not to work against local investors.”

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