Officials of the Bayelsa State Physical Planning and Development Board led by Alabo Gideon Ekeuwei have sealed the site of a building collapse on along the Ebis Mechanic road in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
The building, which is reportedly owned by the Assemblies of God Church caved in incident at night in July, 2022 and was hidden from the relevant authorities until it was noticed by officials of the Board who were on routine patrol on Monday, September 5, 2022.
It gathered that some worshippers were reported to have escaped by the whisker during the building collapse. And the leadership of the church were also alleged to have relocated but planning on rebuilding the church.
Confirming the development, the head of the Public Relations Unit of the State Physical Planning and Development Board, Imgbi Gbalipre Stanley, in a statement issued at the weekend in Yenagoa, said though the investigation into the circumstances that led to the collapse of the said building has commenced, re-emphasizing the need for land developers to always engage the Board before carrying out any form of development in the state.
According to the Statement, “The Board will make available the outcome of the investigation and the collapsed Assemblies of God Church building off Ebi’s Mechanic Road has been sealed and under the custody of the Bayelsa State Government as provided for in sections 59 and 62 of the Bayelsa State Physical Planning and Development Law, 2015. All individuals or group of individuals are hereby barred from the precinct of the church”,
“In line with the provisions of the law establishing the Board, it is compulsory that land developers must first seek approval from the Board before embarking on any form of development. It should be noted that the Board has the personnel with the requisite technical know-how in Building Construction, stressing that it is disheartening for land developers to always engage quacks to carry out their development”.