The main auditorium of Loveworld Incorporated popularly called Christ Embassy, one of Nigeria’s megachurches, has been gutted by fire.
The church located in Ikeja, capital of Lagos State, the country’s commercial centre, was engulfed by fire early Sunday morning hours before the service, destroying properties worth millions of naira.
Vanguard newspaper quoted an eyewitness as saying that the fire started at about 8am but was curtailed by the Lagos Fire and Rescue Service and the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA).
No life was lost.
Members of the church who had gathered for Sunday service ran for safety at the outbreak of the fire.
Margaret Adeseye, director of the Fire and Rescue Service, said the fire was doused by 10am.
“This is to inform Lagosians to be calm. The fire at Christ Embassy Church headquarters in Alausa, Ikeja is under control right now.
“As of the time of this report, no loss of life was recorded. We are on the ground ensuring the safety of lives and property.
“The fire is still on but under control. Let us remain calm as the rescue operation continues,” Adeseye said.
Church’s President speaks
President and founder of the church, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, during a live service at the church’s campground, Asese, said the fire outbreak was not an accident but an avenue for bigger and better things.
“Nothing happens in the life of a child of God by accident. During the 2001 Ikeja cantonment bombing incident, the building vibrated so much and we thought it was going to collapse.
“I thought to myself that if it collapsed I was going to build a bigger, better one. At the end of the day it didn’t collapse and we called the engineers to see if there was any need to bring it down and rebuild but it was still okay.
“Now that this has happened, we will build a bigger, better, and more glorious one and the devil will lick his wound,” he said.
Previous fire incidents
In 2014 and 2018, there were fire incidents at the church’s headquarters during which properties worth millions of naira were destroyed.
Reports say the 2014 incident was caused by a power surge from one of the generating sets. Like the Sunday’s fire outbreak, no life was lost.
Four containers caught fire at the headquarters in 2018. The containers were filled with electrical appliances, pumping machines and pieces of furniture.
About Church Embassy
Christ Embassy started in Benin City, Edo State, South-South Nigeria after it was incorporated in 1987. Two years later, it moved to Lagos. It is one of the fastest growing churches in Nigeria with approximately five million members.
The church’s foundation traces back to a prayer group initiated by Pastor Oyakhilome while he was a student at the Ambrose Alli University where he studied architecture.
Christ Embassy is today a global ministry with a vision for world evangelisation and emphasis on miracle services.