Nigeria’s rescue officials have said that the death toll from a building collapse, belonging to the country’s most influential televangelist, TB Joshua has risen to 115.
The building collapsed on Friday 12 September when the worshippers were attending a worship service in the building.
The South African government has confirmed that 84 South Africans were among the dead and that the bodies of those dead and injured have been brought back to South Africa for burial and treatment.
Seven of the dead too have been identified as Nigerians but the nationalities of the remaining are not yet clear. President Goodluck Jonathan visited the building site and promised an investigation into the cause of the disaster.
Rescue workers have said the building may have collapsed as a result of the construction of additional floors without reinforcing the foundations by the builders.
But Mr. TB Joshua has blamed the incident on a small plane which had been circling over the building before it collapsed and added that he would travel to South Africa to comfort the families of the dead and injured. He has released a CCTV footage which showed the plane circling around the building before it collapsed.
“I will be travelling to South Africa to meet people from South Africa and other nations who find South Africa easier to visit, in memory of martyrs of faith”, he said.
Prophet TB Joshua’s church, the Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) has members from all over the world.
TB Joshua is one of Nigeria’s best-known evangelists and he is popular across Africa due to his prophecies and healing supernatural powers which he claims was given to him by Christ Jesus.
Temitope Balogun Joshua commonly referred to as TB Joshua is a Christian faith healer and the founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations. During church service at his church, demons and evil spirits manifest through those possessed and he is capable of casting them out successfully to free such people.
Different nationals are commonly seen in attendance at his church. He has been awarded various accolades, notably among being the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) by the Nigerian government in 2008.
He is also included in the lists of Africa’s 50 most influential people with an online presence of more than 1,000,000 fans on Facebook and You Tube.
Issaka Adams / NationalTurk Africa News
Writer’s Email Address: Adamsisska@googlemail.com
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