ShehuAba:


by Adedayo Ademuwagun

One of the buildings inside the premises of the
Synagogue Church in Lagos collapsed on Friday
afternoon . Dozens of people died and others were
injured.
After the collapse happened on Friday, church
members blocked the collapse site and prevented
journalists and officials from state agencies from
entering.

The members were violent. They assaulted
journalists and broke some of their equipment.
The Lagos State Building Control Agency
(LASBCA) boss, Abimbola Animashaun, and her
team were prevented from entering. Officials from
Lagos State Emergency Management Agency
(LASEMA) were also assaulted and prevented
from going in. The exact number of casualties still
cannot be ascertained.

On Saturday morning I was at the church to cover
the progress of rescue operations and find out
how things were getting on.
Inside the premises, dozens of church members
manned the gate leading to the collapse site and
barred anyone from going in or out except their
church members and essential rescue officials.
Myself, and journalists from organisations such
as STV, AIT, the Associated Press and others
waited outside the site for hours. The church
people on the ground were very aggressive and
refused to attend to us or let us do our job. It
was clear that they didn’t want journalists and
the rest of the world to know what was going on
in there.

There were many police cars parked around, from
the church entrance to the collapse site. The
police officers saw what the church people were
doing to the journalists and the officials from the
state agencies, but they just continued to look.
Personally, I approached some of the policemen
and challenged them to do something to stop this
unlawful action by the church people, but the
officers barely even looked at me.

Around 11 am, the DG of LASEMA, Femi
Osanyintolu, arrived at the church and promptly
agreed to address journalists. He was very
journalist-friendly. He confirmed to us that the
church members had been hostile to his men and
said his men were inside the site doing rescue
operations. He also said 17 people were dead
while 21 were in hospital as of 1 am Friday.
Meanwhile, there was a woman weeping on the
side-walk and murmuring about her relative who
was inside the building when it collapsed. She
didn’t know if the relative was dead or in hospital
or even still stuck under the rubble. Apparently,
no one had addressed families of victims. This
was 24 hours after the building collapse.
I asked the Mr. Osanyintolu if the relatives of
victims had been informed about what was going
on. He confirmed that no one had yet done this.
I and the other journalists demanded to be
allowed into the site.

The LASEMA boss reasoned
with us and tried to lead us and his men into the
site, but the church people manning the gate
repelled us. The LASEMA boss was furious and
ordered them to let him in, but they didn’t move.
The LASEMA boss IS the head of all emergency
operations in Lagos.
The boss turned back to meet the church’s
security chief to have a word with him. After
some time, they reluctantly agreed, but we were
again blocked at the gate to the site. The police
officers continued to watch.
Meanwhile, some young female officials of the
church were sending the DPO up and down the
walkway like their errand boy. We asked him why
he and his men are watching all this happen. He
murmured incoherently.
I asked one of the journalists from a TV station
why the police were acting like the Synagogue’s
police force when they ARE the Nigerian police
force. He replied, “He who pays the piper dictates
the tune.”

I looked at all the police cars. Nearly all of them
had this printed on them: Donated By Emmanuel
TV. Emmanuel TV is the media arm of the
Synagogue church.
Finally, we had to fight our way into the site,
following the DG’s lead. He wanted to try and
squeeze us past the thug-like youths who were
holding the gate viciously.
Some journalists made it in, but I stayed back for
a moment to record their militant behaviour. So
they attacked me and pulled me off the back of
the DG. He tried to pull my arm in, but we were
outnumbered. The police at this gate were
practically helping the church people keep us out
by force.

As the youths mobbed me and were going to beat
me, I appealed to the police officers looking at us
to help me. They didn’t say a word. The police
woman among them just hissed and walked
away. I could have been shot by those people.
But an old man among them intervened in the
nick of time and led me out of their way.
Later that afternoon, the head of the church TB
Joshua granted a press conference, where he
claimed that it was an aircraft hovering in the sky
that somehow caused that building to crumble.

Churches behaving badly
This Synagogue incident was the latest, not the
first, show of cult-like behaviour in churches in
Nigeria. Large churches in the country often work
like cults. They build walls around their activities
and try to keep the outside world from knowing
what’s going on inside. So even when the
government or the media tries to look into their
affairs, they grow aggressive.
Last year, some tax officers of the Ogun state
government went to the Winners Chapel church in
the state to demand unpaid taxes and do some
checks. Church members prevented them from
going in and attacked them.
This incident also shows that these large
churches in the country are so powerful that they
can molest people, break the law and do whatever
they like on their premises and no one, not even
the government, will take serious action against
them.

Some of my colleagues from the other media
houses were jotting down the names of the
policemen so that they could put it in the media.
They would not be the first to do that.
If things turn out well, they’ll put the names in
the media and then people would look at it and
say, “Oh, this is bad.” If things turn out REALLY
well, the details would go viral and then the police
force would find out and probably sack the
officers.

But that hasn’t quite changed anything so far. In
the past, there have been numerous YouTube
videos of police officers doing something wrong.
But things have effectively remained the same.
With what happened at the Synagogue on this
day, it will be very hard for me to continue to
trust the police to protect me or defend me in
future.


http://ynaija.com/reporters-diary-got-attacked-synagogue-church/

ShehuAba: This is really pathetic, things like this can only happen in a country like ours.
It's clear from what the reporter has said, that the police was totally doing the willing of the church instead of that of the country.
Only God can help us all.

Tundeiab: MUMU NA NOW YOU KNOW SAY NA YOUR WORK TO DEY COVER EVENT FOR SCOAN. ALL THE NUMEROUS WORKS OF CHARITY, MIRACLES AND SCHOLARSHIP WEY THE MAN DEY GIVE YOU NO KNOW SAY NA YOUR JOB TO REPORT THEM.,, FUNNY




I JUST WATCHED THE CLIP OF THE COLLAPSE ON EMMANUEL TV. SAME PLANE FLYING OVER A BUILDING 4 TIMES WITHIN A SPACE OF 1HOUR ONLY FOR THE BUILDING TO COLLAPSE 30 MINUTES LATER... AVIATION AND SECURITY SECTORS IN THE COUNTRY HAS A LOT OF QUESTIONS TO ANSWER.

stebell:

Don't mind τ̲̅ђe yeye man of a journalist.
I thankGod he said τ̲̅ђe same tin happened ‎​t̶̲̥̅̊​o̶̲̥̅̊​ him in Winners Chapel.

He forget ‎​t̶̲̥̅̊​o̶̲̥̅̊​ understand that it is τ̲̅ђe modus operandi of pentecostal churches ‎​t̶̲̥̅̊​o̶̲̥̅̊​ ward off intruders and non members frm their premises. Don't forget τ̲̅ђe security challenge we are facing as a country today may also be a factor.
τ̲̅ђe last tym i checked a man was arrested and shown fir coming ‎​t̶̲̥̅̊​o̶̲̥̅̊​ blow up τ̲̅ђe church. Whether yu believe it or not.

Imagine a plane hovering 4tyms over a church in an hr doing wat? This country is not safe O°˚˚˚

Tundeiab:

I JUST WATCHED THE CLIP OF THE COLLAPSE ON EMMANUEL TV. SAME PLANE FLYING OVER A BUILDING 4 TIMES WITHIN A SPACE OF 1HOUR ONLY FOR THE BUILDING TO COLLAPSE 30 MINUTES LATER... AVIATION AND SECURITY SECTORS IN THE COUNTRY HAS A LOT OF QUESTIONS TO ANSWER.

stebell:

Don't mind τ̲̅ђe yeye man of a journalist.
I thankGod he said τ̲̅ђe same tin happened ‎​t̶̲̥̅̊​o̶̲̥̅̊​ him in Winners Chapel.

He forget ‎​t̶̲̥̅̊​o̶̲̥̅̊​ understand that it is τ̲̅ђe modus operandi of pentecostal churches ‎​t̶̲̥̅̊​o̶̲̥̅̊​ ward off intruders and non members frm their premises. Don't forget τ̲̅ђe security challenge we are facing as a country today may also be a factor.
τ̲̅ђe last tym i checked a man was arrested and shown for coming ‎​t̶̲̥̅̊​o̶̲̥̅̊​ blow up τ̲̅ђe church. Whether yu believe it or not.

Imagine a plane hovering 4tyms over a church in an hr doing wat? This country is not safe O°˚˚˚

alabiyemmy: There are two sides to a story.

ShehuAba: It's really appalling the way some people react to issues. Because I made a comment someone has the right to call me anti-Christ? You know that's an offense on nairaland which is punishable.
But come to think of it, especially those supporting the church here, isn't it illogical for the church to try to cover up what actually happened from the public? What's it that is been concealed from the public? And why should journalists be treated in that manner.
What's now happen to law and order?
If, church members can act against fellows who might even be of the same faith with them in the manner, the reporter stated. Hmm, There's God oooo

coolscott:

There will be no other side to the story except further revelations of unacceptable crap from inside the church.

That church feels a particular need to cover up because they have cloaked themselves with the cloak and air of divine superiority with the ability to spiritually decipher. It is the need to be seen that way that causes them to react the way they have. Otherwise, accidents do happen and should be investigated with a view to trying to avoid the reasons that have led to them.

But that does not mean there is anything holy or divine about the laughable show that is the Synagogue church.

Reminds me of a wolf trying to dress in sheep's clothing that doesn't quite fit.

The message to the rest of the churches that put the synagogue church down however, is... Is there anything the synagogue is doing differently than they are?

Now if the synagogue church is really occultic (and I believe it is) but their daily and weekly corporate church activities are similar to that of other accepted churches, it only goes to show that what makes you genuine, authentic or practically relevant is not the ritual of activities that define the weekly official activities of your church, especially when the main drive after activity-promotion is personality and church brand promotion.

God promotion, human teaching and human character growth and development as guided by the fruits of the Spirit are far down the priority list (if they appear at all) as church earnings, attendance numbers and popularity and public acceptability become the central focus, much as it is with secular business brands.

So I accuse the Synagogue church of being fake, but I also accuse the rest of us - for not being able to demonstrate a valid difference

Tundeiab: anti Christ

ShehuAba: It's really appalling the way some people react to issues. Because I made a comment someone has the right to call me anti-Christ? You know that's an offense on nairaland which is punishable.
But come to think of it, especially those supporting the church here, isn't it illogical for the church to try to cover up what actually happened from the public? What's it that is been concealed from the public? And why should journalists be treated in that manner.
What's now happen to law and order?
If, church members can act against fellows who might even be of the same faith with them in the manner, the reporter stated. Hmm, There's God oooo

ShehuAba: It's really appalling the way some people react to issues. Because I made a comment someone has the right to call me anti-Christ? You know that's an offense on nairaland which is punishable.
But come to think of it, especially those supporting the church here, isn't it illogical for the church to try to cover up what actually happened from the public? What's it that is been concealed from the public? And why should journalists be treated in that manner.
What's now happen to law and order?
If, church members can act against fellows who might even be of the same faith with them in the manner, the reporter stated. Hmm, There's God oooo

aderonila18:

Why would you call someone anti-Christ for stating his own opinion? He never said anything against Christ just the behaviour of that Church and he even did so in a polite manner. As Christians we should be able to correct each other in love without people like you resorting to name calling. You are the one not acting like Jesus

jieta: is that how you 've been going there to report the good will that the man of GOD have been doing? now that he has problem you want to lambast him. why don't you go to sambisa and report the bad things that is happening there, you were even lucky there did not remove ur one hand or leg nonsense

Tundeiab: when a person speaks against where Christ is being called and worshipped, he is an anti Christ. Simple.

aderonila18:

So if the people in a Church are doing something wrong people shouldn't say so? You cannot break the law ( physical assault is a crime) and then try and hide under the banner of the Church and expect people not to say the truth. Remember that Jesus chastised those that were defiling the Temple same way we should caution any member of the Church who behaves like a tout and brings disrepute to God's name. A real Christian will always stand on the side of truth and the truth is if those Church members harassed that man (the Church should investigate if their members truly assaulted him) they should be punished by the Church and the Church authorities should apologize to the man. The Church is supposed to set good examples for the world.

Tundeiab: it's obvious his intention for going was questionable. Over a million and one positive things that has taken place at SCOAN, did he bother to let the word know about it?

The Muslims would have done worse if they were the once affected...if possible religious riot would even erupt especially if a Christian journalist was trying to force his way into a mosque.
He said Christians are too secretive cos they erect fences to cover their activities. All the mosques in my area are fenced so I don't know what he was talking about.

aderonila18:

That is what will always separate us from Muslims, the fact that we let God fight for himself. Jesus asked us to turn the other cheek and remember that he chastised Peter for cutting off the soldier's ear. Real Christians have no business beating anyone up just because you don't like his views, even if his intentions are bad let God be the one to Judge him. I wonder if people who call themselves Christians today realize that it means acting like Jesus Christ would? Jesus would never assault anyone and neither should we. If someone is trespassing on your land what a responsible person would do is call the police to get him off your premises.