Update On Murder at The Synagogue: Death toll hits 46 as anger trails TB Joshua’s claim that Boko Haram attacked his church

Joshua

The founder and General overseer of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, Prophet T. B. Joshua, has come under heavy attacks from many angry and disappointed Nigerians for saying that Boko Haram may be responsible for the collapse of a six-storey building in the church premises last Friday.

Joshua, who told members of his church on Sunday not to be afraid, said the attack was targeted at him and not at them.

The prophet made it clear that the collapse of the six-storey building at around 11.45am on Friday which led to the death of 46 persons, as of today, with over 130 rescued, was a Boko Haram attack.

Two angry Nigerians, who spoke with SHOWBIZPLUSng, said the self acclaimed prophet was talking rubbish and should be brought to justice for wasting the lives of innocent Nigerians.

“How can Joshua, who should be behind bars by now in a civilized clime, be alleging that Boko Haram was responsible for his man made errors? Was Boko Haram there when he decided to raise a two storey building to six storey without the advice of certified structural and building engineers? Lagos State government should take possession of that land; they have done it before to other landlords and so Joshua should not be an exception. Besides, he claimed to be a prophet and seer and has claimed to have predicted accurately many bad news in Nigeria, how come he didn’t see this one that happened under his nose?” Queried these men, who spoke with us on the condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, Joshua who buttressed his claim by showing to his congregation on the Emmanuel TV the chronology of events shortly before and after the accident as captured by the church’s CCTV.

He said, “I received a phone call immediately I got here, just 10 minutes later when I was in the church, that there was a jet hovering over the mountain where I had just left. They said it was hovering at a close range. Before I knew it, I received another phone call that the same jet was now at the church hovering over the building, passing it four times at a very close range before the building collapsed.”

Joshua read to the church a letter which he said was addressed to him by a Boko Haram member, confessing how he had attempted to plant a bomb inside the church.

Joshua said his church was being attacked to scare away members.

“This environment at Ikotun Egbe, we have never witnessed an accident of a building collapse. This is a very stable terrain. I have been here for the past 30 years. I am pregnant with words, but we have left the security agencies to do their job. Let us believe and educate our people and be alive.”

Assuring his congregation that God would bring the perpetrators of the attack to book, Joshua said that the decision of the insurgents to focus on his church might be the end of the Boko Haram’s activities in the country.

He said,“I know you will ask why the church? It is because of the spiritual blessings that God has bestowed upon us. A big head wears a large hat.

“Don’t forget about the Ebola issue too, it was God that rescued the church. Probably they would have dropped an Ebola patient inside the church, so that they would said, ‘there is an Ebola patient in the church, don’t go there.’

“They are trying to scare you from coming to church. Don’t be scared, you are not the target, I’m the target. I know my time has not yet come. I have not yet finished my job.

“I want to assure you that our God will get back at them and you will know when he gets back to them. May be this would be the end of the whole thing.”

The National Emergency Management Agency on Sunday said that 44 dead bodies had been recovered, while 130 people trapped in the collapsed Synagogue building had so far been rescued.

The Public Relations Officer of NEMA, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed this via a text message to our correspondents.

Farinloye, however, told the News Agency of Nigeria that 80 per cent of people rescued from the collapse building were women.

He said that two female children, aged four and eight years, were among those rescued from the building.