Prophetess Olayemi Adesida is the founder of Possibility Prayer Mountain for all Nations, a church devastated by an explosion that rocked Ilu Abo in Akure, Ondo State, on Saturday. She speaks to PETER DADA about the destruction of her church
What is the capacity of your church?
I have hundreds of members; this is a very big church with many members. Even some people who are not our members come to pray here.
When was the church founded?
We started this church a long time ago; I have been here since 2002. At that time, this place was a forest and I have been doing everything little by little.
What do you know about the explosion?
It happened after midnight. We were in the church praying, while some of my members were praying on a mountain. Suddenly, I heard a loud bang and the church building collapsed on me. I shouted that the Holy Spirit should pull me out of the debris and indeed, it did.
Did anyone die in the incident?
Nobody died. I had to cry to the Holy Spirit that no one must die and nobody died. We all survived it. I return all the glory to God.
How many of your members were injured?
They would be up to 10 but I thank God that none of them is dead; they are in the hospital recuperating and they are all in good condition.
How many houses were affected on the premises of this church?
Eighteen solid buildings were destroyed within the church premises by the explosion. But my joy is that nobody died in the incident. Let us all give glory to God. God is indeed great. All of you should help me praise God because He has been so good to me.
What is the monetary value of the affected buildings?
You can imagine how much that would cost. All the structures that were erected here were built with quality materials because I don’t believe in doing shoddy jobs.
Were you injured in the incident?
Yes, but I only had a little scratch on my face and I’m okay now.
What is your next line of action?
All I need now is government assistance because even the community cannot handle the situation. I want to beg the state and federal governments to come to my aid because it is beyond our capacity. The damage is enormous.
I saw many injured people after explosion – Blessing, affected church member
A member of the Possibility Prayer Mountain for all Nations church, who only identified herself as Blessing, tells PETER DADA what she knows about Saturday’s explosion in Akure, Ondo State
What do you do in the church?
I am a member and also a worker in the church.
What do you know about the explosion?
I was not here when the incident occurred but somebody called me to inform me about it. When I got here, I saw that many of the buildings had been destroyed by the explosion. I also saw that many people were injured.
How many people were injured?
Eight people were injured and they have been taking to the hospital.
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