No
fewer than three worshippers at the Synagogue Church of all Nations, Ikotun,
Lagos State, have been confirmed dead after a stampede on the church’s premises
on Saturday.
It was learnt that the
victims were part of a crowd that struggled to see the church’s General
Overseer, Prophet Temitope Joshua, during a special healing service.
It
was gathered that while two of the victims were identified as Emeka Okonkwo and
Emmanuel Oherin, the third victim had yet to be identified.
Their
corpses were said to have been deposited in a morgue in the state.
An
eyewitness, who did not want to be identified, said the stampede occurred
around 4.30am.
He
said, “It was the church’s annual deliverance and healing programme. Usually at
this time, the church becomes a beehive of activities as people come in their
thousands to see the prophet for miracles.
“People
lodge in different hotels surrounding the church. And they all arrive at the
church very early.
“There
is a canopy on the premises where worshippers are screened before they see the
man of God.
“However,
on Saturday, after being screened, the crowd was much and they started
struggling through the doorway to see the prophet. In the process, three people
collapsed. They were rushed to the Isolo General Hospital, where they were
confirmed dead.”
Another
source said the two victims were identified through their phones, adding that
the third victim did not have any means of identification.
“Their
families were immediately contacted and they identified them. The police from
the Ikotun division were also contacted,” he added.
A
police source said the corpses were taken in an ambulance, adding that the
Ikotun Divisional Crime Officer and the Area Commander, Area M, accompanied
them to the mortuary.
When
contacted, an official of the church, who did not want to be identified, urged
media men t to forward their enquiries to the church’s email address.
He
said, “Mr. Folarin, while I appreciate the fact that you have to do your job as
a journalist, I also must protect my personal integrity. I will advise you send
a mail to info@scoan.org to confirm before publishing any story.
“Sometimes,
rumours get to the press and injure the reputation (of) our subjects, thereby
making journalism look like a witch-hunt.
“I
will also advise you to be most objective. Please send a mail to the email
address before publishing any story.”
A
mail was sent around 3.54pm which had yet to be replied to as of press time.
Another
official of the Church with a foreign accent spoken to on the phone denied the
incident.
She
said, “Nothing happened on the church premises yesterday. Nobody died. Nobody.
Thank you.”
The
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, however, confirmed the
incident, adding that investigations were ongoing.
She
said, “The story is true. Investigation is ongoing as we await the result of
the autopsy. For now, we are treating the case as sudden and unnatural deaths.”
Source:The Punch
Tags
Society