Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Part of a storey building located along Anwai Road in Asaba, Delta State in the wee hours of Friday collapsed, to the consternation of residents in the neighborhood.
But there were no casualties, although property whose worth is yet to established at the time of filing this report, was destroyed. The building, said to be about 15 years old, served as a hotel before it closed shop two years ago.
At the moment, a new generation church is said to be using the venue as worship centre every Friday for vigil service, and on Sundays for the normal church service.
Narrating how the building collapsed, a resident in the area, Donatus Opukeme, said he heard a shattering noise at about 3am, “and I wondered who could have carrying zinc at that time of the night. The next thing I heard was an earth- shaking noise. When I peeped through my window, I saw dust everywhere. My vehicle was covered with dust, and at dawn, we discovered that this building which was abandoned, has fallen.” Opukeme said nobody knew what could have led to the collapse, but stated that the building has been lying fallow before the church came in recently. He added that there were issues of inheritance of the property after the death of the original owner of the house.
When Saturday Sun visited the area, the transparent gate to the building was under lock, while a group of people gathered inside adjoining compound, apparently to review the incident.