A church in Ibadan, Oyo State, was thrown into a state of mourning as three worshippers were burnt to death yesterday. The unfortunate incident occurred at Mercyland Prayers Ministry at Okoro.
The fire which started about 1:45 a.m. and reportedly raged for almost three hours, was said to have started at the entrance of the church and was further fuelled by a nearby generating set containing petrol.
According to multiple sources, the church was enveloped in smoke as worshippers scrambled to escape. While many made it out of the raging inferno alive, two men and a woman were said to have been burnt to death.
The church’s roof was engulfed by the fire, which also burnt the chairs inside.
A survivor, simply identified as Akin, said some worshippers were fast asleep when the fire started.
The fire was eventually put out at 4:05am by men of the State Fire Service in conjunction with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Police.
Confirming the incident, Director, Oyo State Fire Services, Mr. Oyekunle Kareem said around midnight, a distress call was made to them that “there was a fire incident at Alaro and we rushed there immediately.
“We put out the fire, but three bodies were recovered. Only the doctor can certify them dead”.