Synagogue Church’s restaurant gutted by fire minutes after candlelight procession

A minibus drives by as church members gather at the main gate of The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOA) headquarters to mourn the death of late Nigerian pastor TB Joshua, in the Ikotun district of Lagos on June 6, 2021.  (Photo by PIUS UTOMI EKPEI / AFP)

Two hours after members of The Synagogue, Church of All Nations ( SCOAN) ended its candlelight procession for the Late Prophet T.B. Joshua at his Faith Resort ground, Agodo, Egbe, restaurant of the SCOAN, Ikotun, caught fire.

The building, which is close to Gate 5 of the church, was ablaze around 11:30 pm. The church members were able to put out the fire before it spread to other parts of the building.

According to some members of the church, the fire was caused by an electrical problem.

As at the time of this report there were no casualties as everyone in the restaurant got out before the fire started.

“My room was on the second floor so when the smoke started it was very thick and I couldn’t breathe,” a member of the church said.

“Thank God we got out.”

Another member said “this has never happened before. I have been living here all my life and this kind of thing has never happened.”

Fire service men located at the Ikotun area arrived an hour after the fire was put out by members of the church.

SCOAN, however, said in a statement that the fire was cause by a minor electrical fire incident at a store house within church complex and that the incident was quickly brought under control without any injuries.

“As part of the preparedness for the weeklong services celebrating the life and legacy of Prophet TB Joshua, the SCOAN has worked closely with relevant government agencies including the Lagos State Fire Services, whose members were on ground at the time of the incident,” the church said.

“We thank God for His continued protection. We assure the general public that there is no cause for alarm and the services celebrating the life and legacy of Prophet TB Joshua will continue as scheduled,” said.