An assistant of Udom Emmanuel lost his life in the process of saving the governor of Akwa Ibom from the collapsed church building in Uyo.
At least 27 people were killed, while others were injured when the roof and iron beams in the church building Reigners Bible Church, Uyo, collapsed on Saturday during a church ceremony.
The pastor of the church, Akan Weeks, was to be "enthroned" as a bishop in the unfortunate ceremony.
Ubong Mboho, an evangelist, who was inside the collapsed building told PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday that he witnessed the governor's help in sacrificing his life to save the governor.
"He (the governor's assistant) was standing near the governor, and I saw him take the governor away from danger when the building began to fall," said Mr. Mboho, whose father, Elijah Mboho, an influential bishop of Akwa Ibom, was scheduled To carry out the "enthronement".
Unfortunately, the governor's assistant, later identified as Ernest Idem, could not get out alive; He was beaten by the iron beams and died instantly, Mboho said.
Some other people who spoke separately corroborated Mboho's story of how Mr. Idem died.
It was said that the late Mr. Idem, from the Local Government Area of Ibesikpo-Asutan, worked with Zenith Bank before joining the state government protocol unit when Emmanuel became governor.
Mr. Mboho said he was making an effort to save his own father - the archbishop - when the incident occurred.
He said the archbishop and his wife were not injured, but some people within his entourage were injured.
Mr. Mboho, 40, stripped off his shirt and got involved in the rescue operation as soon as his father was taken to a safe place inside the church premises.
"My focus was how I could save those who were still alive," he said.
One of the people Mr. Mboho said he helped rescue was Emmanuel Ekpenyong, the main scourge of the Assembly House of Akwa Ibom.
The iron pillar had fallen on his leg. I had to hurry to our bus for the hydraulic jack I used in lifting the iron (beam) before I could pull on his leg.
"He was in great pain and was screaming" My leg! My leg! My leg! "While we were struggling to rescue him," Mboho said.
Mr. Mboho, refuted the information disseminated in social networks that enthronement took place later in Abak on the day of the incident.
That's a complete lie. There is no way that my father or anyone else for that matter could have gone ahead with the enthronement after such a terrible incident, "he said.
The archbishop has been down because of the incident, he said.
"He has been talking to God since yesterday, asking what might have been the cause of this calamity.
"The incident is not about Reigners Bible Church, it's not Akan Weeks, it's about the kingdom of God.
"Please let the church and all unite and support the families of the victims, the church and the state of Akwa Ibom," Mboho said.
Meanwhile, Akwa Ibom Police Commissioner Murtala Mani confirmed Sunday that 27 people were killed, while 37 were wounded in the collapse of the church.We heard that the church choirmaster and his family were among those who lost their lives.On Sunday afternoon, a large crowd of people gathered in front of the perimeter fence of the church to take a look at the collapsed building.
The church door was locked. Some police officers were seen inside the premises.
The cars, which belonged to those who lost their lives in the incident, were seen parked around the church's facilities.
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