Pastor reportedly ignored order to stop church construction

The collapse of the Reigners Bible Church International in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, has been attributed to the Pastors refusal to honour a stop work order on construction works.

According to a report by Leadership newspaper, the church's pastor, Akan Weeks, had ignored a ‘stop work’ order given by the city’s Development Authority.

It was further reported that sometime in 2013 the Uyo Capital City Development Authority (UCCDA) had put a ‘stop work’ sign at the Reigners Bible Church International while at foundation level.

Pastor Weeks had reportedly refused to honour the agency with documents regarding the building plan, structural design, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and other relevant documents relating to the building for assessment, professional advice, supervision and approval.

The report also revealed that in 2014, men of UCCDA visited the church's site again with the ‘stop work’ order, requesting necessary documents for assessment/approval given the topography of the land the church sits on, but the church ignored again.

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It was also reported that despite all measures by the state government agency, the church and the pastor had maintained their stand till the collapse of the building.