The Assemblies of God Church located at the Amarata axis off Ebi’s Mechanic Road of Yenagoa, the capital city of Bayelsa has been sealed.
According to Daily Trust, the said building was sealed by the State Physical Planning and Development Board for hiding its collapsed building from relevant authorities.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Head of the Public Relations unit of the board, Mr Imgbi Gbalipre Stanley who disclosed that the said authorities did not vet the building which was under construction.
Announcing the sealing of the church, the Executive Chairman of the board, Alabo Gideon Ekeuwei, emphasized the need for land developers to always engage the board before carrying out any form of development in the state.
The statement said investigations revealed that the building collapsed at night in July 2022 and relevant authorities were not notified until officials of the board who were on routine patrol on Monday, September 5, 2022, found it.
He said, “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.
“The board has the personnel with the requisite technical know-how in building construction, but it is disheartening for land developers to always engage quacks to carry out their development.
“We have commenced investigation into the circumstances that led to the collapse of the said building. Pending the outcome of the investigation, 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 groups of individuals are hereby barred from the precinct of the church. Therefore, the leadership of the Assemblies of God Church are hereby requested to visit the Bayelsa State Physical Planning and Development Board with all relevant documents relating to the collapsed building.”