Lagos state governor, Babatunde Fashola visited the site of the collapsed building inside the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Ikotun. He commiserated with the church founder, Prophet T.B Joshua and also ordered all church workers to stop work on the site to enable officials of the Nigerian Emergency Management Authority work effectively.
Meanwhile, the Lagos state Commissioner for Physical planning, Mr Toyin Ayinde, revealed that the 5-storey building had no government approval for its construction.
Speaking to newsmen at the site, the state Commissioner said records in his office shows that no permit was handed to the civil engineers for the building to be erected but said he was awaiting the church engineers to present the building permit they were given to erect the collapsed building.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says the death toll in the Synagogue Church building collapse in the Ikotun area of Lagos has risen to 40 after 120 people were rescued on Friday September 12th.
“It’s now 40 dead,” NEMA southwest coordinator Ibrahim Farinloye, told AFP by text message.
124 people have so far been rescued alive from the rubble of the building said to be a guesthouse for foreign followers of the church. The building collapsed as construction work was going on to raise the 2-storey building to a five storey building.