Nigeria’s Akwa Ibom state government says only 23 people died in a collapsed church, an apparent attempt to cover up the true toll when the metal girders and corrugated iron roof crashed onto a crowded service over the weekend.
The Associated Press reported at least 160 people died, using the number of bodies counted at one mortuary by the director of the biggest hospital in the state, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital.
Hospital director Etete Peters said mortuaries were overwhelmed by Saturday’s tragedy.
But Peters later told journalists that only 24 bodies were at the hospital’s morgue.
Reigners Bible Church was under construction when it hosted the consecration of founder Akan Weeks as bishop.
Weeks and state Governor Udom Emmanuel escaped unhurt. The state website put the dead at 23.
The governor was the special guest of honour at the elevation and consecration service.
In a report by NAN on Saturday, 10 December, it said witnesses said some 60 people were victims of the accident but the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Cordelia Nwawe, said the profiling of victims was still ongoing.
“Latest report said about 60 people may have been killed by the collapse. The official figure of the dead has yet to be released,” NAN said in its report.
In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary, Mr Ekerete Udoh, said the state government would constitute a panel of inquiry into the cause of the accident.
He said the inquiry was necessary to forestall a re-occurrence of such incident and to bring to book persons found to have compromised professional standards in building construction.
Udoh said the governor was touched by the unfortunate incident and personally supervised the rescue operations and evacuation of the injured to the hospital.
He said the state government would foot the bill for the medical treatment of all the victims of the collapsed church building.
Udoh appealed to citizens of the state to remain calm, pray for those injured and avoid undue speculations as the situation was being given the best possible attention.
