Joshua suggests sabotage over deadly building collapse

Lagos - Preacher and televangelist TB Joshua on
Sunday linked a deadly building collapse at his
Lagos megachurch to a suspicious aircraft but
rescue workers ruled out the theory of foul play.
Joshua, dubbed "The Prophet" by fanatical
followers because of his purported predictions and
healing powers, showed footage of the moments
leading up to the collapse on his emmanuel.tv
network.
The National Emergency Management Agency
(NEMA) said 42 people were killed in Friday's
incident, while 130 escaped or were pulled out
alive from the rubble.
In the security camera footage, apparently from
opposite the vast church compound, what is
described as an aircraft is seen over the building
four times at 11:30 am (1030 GMT), 11:43 am,
11:45 and 11:54 am.
The uncompleted building, five floors of which are
visible above a high wall, is then seen to collapse
at 12:44 pm, throwing up huge clouds of dust
into the air.
"After the incident, the strange aircraft does not
return," a commentary accompanying the images
adds.
There was no independent verification of the
authenticity of the footage but Joshua has said
he would make it available to Nigeria's security
agencies.
His Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) is
located in Ikotun, near Lagos international airport.
Rescue work delayed
Joshua's theory about the low-flying plane
featured in a number of newspapers on Sunday.
But NEMA's southwest coordinator Ibrahim
Farinloye rejected claims of sabotage and said
extra floors were being added to the building
without changing the foundations.
"If it were an act of terrorism or sabotage, it
would have gone into rubble," he told AFP at the
scene.
Building collapses are common because of the
use of sub-standard material and flouting of
construction regulations.
NEMA rescue workers were only able to access
the site properly at 9:00 am on Sunday and the
emergency services and media had previously
complained of being attacked by church security.
The Lagos state building control agency also
complained that its officials were obstructed and
Farinloye indicated more lives could have been
saved had rescuers been able to get to the
building sooner.
Rescuers wearing protective facemasks and boots
used excavators to remove slabs of flattened
concrete and were hunting for anyone still trapped
under the wreckage of twisted metal and
masonry.
The building was believed to be a guesthouse for
foreign members of SCOAN and green mattresses
were clearly visible among the debris.
It was not known how many people were inside
the building when it collapsed.
But Joshua preaches to massive crowds at the
megachurch every week and, according to his
website, SCOAN "hosts thousands of national and
international visitors" each year.
"People travel from around the world to witness
and receive from the mighty work that God is
doing in the life of Prophet TB Joshua," it states.
Joshua said on his Facebook page TB Joshua
Ministries that reports that the church auditorium
had collapsed and that there had been heavy
casualties were not correct.
"The few people that were there are being
rescued," he said on Friday.