Sympathisers have besieged the scene of the collapsed Church building in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on Sunday.
There was heavy security presence at the Church gate under lock.
The actual number of the casualties of the Saturday incident is yet to be confirmed.
Tag: uyo
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Sympathisers besiege Uyo collapsed Church scene
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60 rescued from debris of Uyo’s collapsed Church
Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom on Saturday escaped unhurt as the Reigners Bible Church International building in Uyo collapsed during a worship session.
Sixty casualties were however rescued from the building.
The governor was the special guest of honour at the consecration service of the Founder of the church, Apostle Akan Weeks, as a bishop.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Reigners Bible Church International building, situated on Uyo Village Road, was still under construction when it collapsed.
Its iron rafters caved in as the service was ongoing.
A witness told NAN that the building collapsed 30 minutes after the governor arrived.
‘’When we were about taking offering, 30 minutes after the governor came in, the building caved in. Security operatives took him away,’’ he said.
When NAN correspondents visited the scene, security operatives had cordoned off the entire building while trying to rescue those trapped in the debris.
Another witness, Miss Uduak Effiong, told NAN that a female victim’s bowel was ripped open by the tragedy.
Effiong, who is a communication arts student of the University of Uyo, said that she lost three friends to the incident.
Mr Joseph James, who also witnessed the building collapse, told NAN that the Founder of the church, Apostle Akan Weeks, was also brought out unhurt.
Some rescue team members said that over 60 casualties had been removed from the debris.
However, the state Police Public Relation Officer, ASP Cordelia Nwawe, said that she could not confirm the casualty figure since rescue operations were ongoing.
She said that security operatives had been drafted to maintain law and order at the scene to prevent hoodlums from cashing in on the situation.
“Rescue team members are trying their best to rescue all the victims trapped at the collapsed building.
‘’We cannot tell you the exact number of casualties now as the rescue operations are on,’’ she said.
The rescue team at scene is made up of workers of Julius Berger Construction Company, the police, army, Fire Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigerian Medical Association and the Federal Road Safety Corps.
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Update: Many feared dead as church building collapses in Akwa Ibom
Tragedy struck Saturday in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital when a church building belonging to Reigners Bible Church International, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, collapsed killing scores and wounded several others.
According to an eyewitness, the incident occurred at around 11am during a special service: “Bishopric Enthronement”, to mark the ordination of its resident pastor, Akan Weeks.
As at the time when the building collapsed, eyewitnesses say the church was filled to the brim and the incident occurred shortly after the offering session, a development that brought the event to an end.
Governor Udom Emmanuel alongside some of his commissioners who were billed to attend the function were on their way when the building collapsed.
When The Nation visited the scene, the governor was seen helping in the rescue operation as many worshippers were trapped under the debris as rescue team evacuate the dead and those that were injured.
An eyewitness said: “This is a disaster. Why today? People have been rushed to hospital while many have been trapped under the structure.”
Security agents comprising men of the Nigeria Police Force: Nigerian Army; Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC and officials of the Federal Road a Safety Corps, FRSC, were seen condoling off the area to save the lives of those they were injured.
Also officials of the Red Cross were seen attending to some of the worshippers with minor injuries.
When contacted, the FRSC’s Spokesman in the state, Mr. Godsgift Uwen, said officials of the commission were currently at the scene of incident.
When asked the number of casualties resulting from the collapsed building, Uwen said he was not competent to speak on that but ordered Sunday Nation to get the reaction from the Police.
He said: “I am not competent to give you information on this matter for now. I will advise you call the Police Public Relations officer.”
Speaking on the development, the State’s Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Cordelia Nwawe, could not confirm the number of casualties.
She said: “This is a very unfortunate incident. The governor is safe. A lot of the people are safe. People have been rushed to the hospital. By evening, we will be able to talk about the number of casualties. We are here to ensure that hoodlums do not take over the place.”
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Church collapses during service in Uyo
Rescue workers are battling to evacuate victims in a church building which collapsed in Uyo on Saturday while service was in session.
Some senior government officials are suspected to be among the victims.
The casualty figure is yet to be known.
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You have to beat Nigeria, Algeria FA boss charges players
Aware of what victory means to his team against Nigeria this weekend, the President of Algeria Football Federation, Mohamed Raouraoua has charged his team to aim for total victory in Uyo.
Raouraoua was with the players in their camp to motivate them ahead of the crucial encounter saying, “”You have a duty to come back with a positive result of this match against Nigeria. It is mandatory. We have to win there. All Algerians expect you to qualify,” he said.
He reminded the players that Algerians are behind the team, adding that it is important for the team to reciprocate this support with victory. “All the Algerian people are behind you. It supports you and hopes for a good result in Nigeria. You must not disappoint them, that’s all I can tell you. The World Cup is an important event that should not be missed. You have to know that everyone is behind. You have a goal that is qualification in the World Cup, and you have to reach it. For that, we will have to redeem ourselves from the draw we conceded in the first match against Cameroon,” the FA boss said.
He however cautioned the players, “Stop talking. I noticed that you have talked too much lately. You are footballers and you must let the field speak. It will have to prove itself on the ground. This is the best way to respond,” he added.
“Sincerely, I trust you. I know what you’re capable of. I know you are able to go win there. I know this team has potential. I know you are all volunteers on the ground. We just have to concentrate and give ourselves thoroughly and inch’Allah, we will achieve a good result. I trust you,” Raouraoua said.
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Mikel, Musa, 18 others participate in Eagles’ first training session
Captain Mikel Obi, Ahmed Musa and 18 others on Tuesday took part in the Super Eagles’ first training session at the National Stadium, Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mikel and Musa were among the latest arrivals at the team’s camp on Monday night.
The team was separated into three groups and began with a light walk-out and head-tennis training under the watchful eyes of Super Eagles’ Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr and Coach Salisu Yusuf.
Mikel, Odion Ighalo, Ogenyi Onazi, William Troost-Ekong, Moses Simon and John Ogu made up the first group.
The second group had Victor Moses, Musa, Kenneth Omeruo, Kingsley Madu and Uche Agbo.
Kelechi Iheanacho, Alex Iwobi, Musa Mohammed and Wilfred Ndidi were in the third group, while goalkeepers Ikechukwu Ezenwa and Daniel Akpeyi trained separately.
NAN observed that Ezenwa was very sharp in goal and displayed good reflexes, while his counterpart, Akpeyi was a little jaded and lacked match fitness.
Mikel showed some sign of class and precision in his touches and passes, while Victor, Iheanacho and Iwobi were in excellent form.
The trio of Leon Balogun, Brown Ideye and Shehu Abdullahi who were nursing knee and ankle injuries were engaged in light ball work.
NAN, however, reports that Goalkeeper Dele Alampasu, Elderson Echiejile and Oghenekaro Etebo have yet to arrive at the camp.
The Super Eagles are expected to hold another training session later on Tuesday.
The Super Eagles will lock horns with Algeria in crucial Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo on Saturday.
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BATTLE OF UYO: Abuja camp picked to stop late comers
• Decision to expose lying players over poor flight connections
• Rohr moves to ‘cage’ randy Eagles in team’s hotelNo-nonsense Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr hopes to check Super Eagles late comers and those who like to “misbehave” by insisting the team train in Abuja before they head off to a match venue.
That is why the experienced Franco-German coach has fixed training camp in Abuja for next month’s crucial World Cup qualifier against Algeria even though it will be played in Uyo.
Players have used poor flight connections to Uyo as reason why they have reported late in camp and that way stayed away from the limited number of trainings before a big game.
Also, the big hotel in Uyo has made it very difficult for the players to be fully monitored by officials leading up to a match day.
“Rohr has been far from impressed with some of the Super Eagles stars who have chosen to report late to camp citing the difficulty of connecting local flights to Uyo,” an official exclusively disclosed.
“By having the squad all in Abuja now, they will all leave for Uyo as a group some days to a big game. There are always flight from Europe and locally to Abuja and so no one can use flight hitches as an excuse to come late to camp anymore.”
Another top official informed that the team’s hotel in Abuja is a lot more compact as against the hotel in Uyo, which is big and sprawling and so gives room for the players to whatever they choose even before a big game. The hotel in Uyo is just too big for you to monitor what the players are up to at any given point in time, while that in Abuja you can easily check any misbehavior and excesses,” said the official.
Rohr questioned the “lack of focus” of Leicester City star Ahmed Musa prior to the game in Zambia earlier this month when he drove into camp with an expensive new car.
He subsequently dropped the Eagles assistant captain to the bench for the match in Ndola.
The Eagles training camp will open on Sunday night, November 6, and training is slated to begin Monday morning.
The squad will then fly out to Uyo on Thursday ahead of the showdown against Algeria on Saturday.
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Gov berates Nigerians who send children abroad for education
The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel has expressed concern over the unpatriotic attitude of some Nigerians who send their children abroad for education saying that the majority of great men and women today were products of public schools in Nigeria.
Emmanuel, who stated this on Thursday in Uyo, the state capital while briefing newsmen, noted that most of the teachers in overseas countries are not better than their Nigerian counterpart whom he noted are making waves all over the world.
According to him, no amount of investment will be too much in the education of children and youths which he identifies as key drivers of any economy.
With sound education the Governor said, young people could contribute to the development of their communities and help in addressing unemployment in the society.
He emphasized the need for parents and teachers to instill discipline, fear of God and moral values in their children so that they can grow with it and become useful to society.
Governor Emmanuel promised that his government will continue to provide a good environment for quality teaching and learning through the basic infrastructure in schools and prompt attention to the welfare of teachers in Akwa Ibom State.
On the perennial flood ravaging some roads in the state, the Governor said that his administration is working in partnership with the World Bank to check the menace and that the Organization has received the design of the Babangida Avenue flood control project with a view to providing funding for the project.
He explained that the Babangida Avenue flooding has persisted due to the topography of the area.
This, he said, has made it difficult to channel the water to the nearest drainage around the State Secretariat.
However, he assured that the Nsikak Eduok Avenue road flooding would be evacuated as soon as the underground drainage channeling project is completed.
In the Health sector, the Governor said he painstakingly went round the state-owned medical institutions and that the sector would be revamp as the state government is awaiting delivery of medical equipment ordered from the United States of America to enable the hospitals provide better services for the people.
He announced that the state government has entered into an agreement with a Singapore based firm to rehabilitate the General Hospital at Ikot Okoro under a Private Public Partnership Arrangement.
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Police Command parades 2 arms dealers, 7 other criminals
The Akwa Ibom State Command of the Nigeria Police Force has paraded a group of nine suspected criminals for various criminal involvements including gun running.
The parade was done at the State Command headquarters at Ikot Akpan Abia area, Uyo, the State capital by the State Police Commissioner, CP Murtala Mani.
Emmanuel Akamaba aged 38 and Ezekiel Adie aged 35, were among the nine suspects paraded at the police headquarters for their involvement in gun running.
The commissioner, CP Mani told journalists that the paraded suspects were arrested by operatives of the command at various locations in the state during stop and search operations on highways and roads.
CP Mani said Stop and Search exercise is one the proactive measures taken by the command to rid the Akwa Ibom state of criminal elements.
According to him, two suspects, Emmanuel Akamaba and Ezekiel Adie both from Ogoja in Cross River state were arrested with four locally-made pistols along Calabar/Itu Highway by Safer Highway Patrol team who carried out a search on the vehicle which they traveled with.
In their confessional statement, both Emmanuel and Ezekiel admitted to the crime. “When the police stopped us at their Check Point in Itu, and searched the vehicle we boarded, they discovered the four pistols in our traveling bag. We were going to sell the guns to our agent in Bayelsa at the cost of N100,000.00 each. We bought the guns from the manufacturer in Benue state and we have been in the business for about a year now.”
However, CP Mani who was represented by the state public relations officer (PPRO) of the command, ASP Cordelia Nwawe said that among the paraded suspects was one Blessing Effiong Ambrose who was arrested for human trafficking.
Blessing was allegedly arrested by the Patrol team stationed along Oron-Mbo Highway who intercepted a white colour Toyota Hiace commuter bus with registration number Lagos – JJJ454 XD which Blessing was among the passengers and were travelling from Oron in Akwa Ibom state to Lagos state.
Among the passengers in the bus were six children aged between five and fifteen who were victims of child trafficking by Blessing who was taking them to buyers in Lagos state. The children were however rescued and handed over to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) in Uyo for investigations, the ASP Nwawe stated.
Also paraded were those who robbed worshippers of a Presbyterian Church at Okopedi Itiam village, along Uyo – Ekim Itam Highway, those who were caught with three stolen Perkins sound proof generators purportedly removed from the University of Uyo (UNIUYO), those who were caught with stolen power transformer and other electrical appliances on the way to Lagos from Uyo.
Police said upon proper investigations into the crimes, all those found involved would be prosecuted accordingly.
CP Mani called on members of the public, especially commercial vehicle drivers to always check the luggage of passengers to ascertain the contents before carrying them.
He also warned that the command would not condone crime of any kind in the state, therefore parents should warn their children and wards against keeping bad friends or indulging in crime.
The Police Command appeals to members of the public to bear with the Police when they are asked to stop for a brief check, that it is done for the overall good of all.
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Shun cultism, Uyo varsity VC warns matriculating students
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Uyo (UNIUYO), Akwa Ibom State, Prof. Enefiok Essien, has advised matriculating students of the institution to live within the dictates of the school’s rules and regulations, warning that management would not hesitate to wield the big stick against non-conformists.
“You are to submit to duly constituted authorities of the University, to shun cultism and to obey the rules and regulations governing the University,” he warned.
While declaring the ceremony open, the VC assured the new students that the university, as the centre for teaching, research and manpower development, was committed to the social contract of training them to become experts in various fields.
He asked the students to reciprocate by adhering to the norms, values and ethical standards put in place in the university community, as part of the regulatory regime -to check the excesses of students and other members of the institution.
He advised the new students against unruly behaviours under the cover of unionism, saying dialogue remains the best option in dispute resolution.
“Our target is quality service delivery at all times irrespective of who is involved. We treat you as very important persons and we hope you will never give us cause to treat you otherwise. The management of the University of Uyo is prepared to listen and dialogue on all issues affecting you; it maintains an open door policy for such purposes,” he stressed.