Lightning kills woman in Cross River State while sweeping church

TWENTY-THREE years old Mrs Iyaji Yegwa was, weekend, struck dead by lightening at Okpoma, Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State while sweeping a local branch of RHEMA Church.

Vanguard gathered that the deceased, accompanied by the pastor of the church, whose name was given as Simon, went into the church on Saturday evening to sweep and get the place ready for the next day’s service, when it began to rain.

The pastor was said to have handed his mobile phone to the deceased for safe-keeping, while he went back to his house for his clothes.

The pastor, a source said, was held back in his house by the rain. When he came back to the church, the woman was on the floor dead. He then raised alarm.

“There was a lot of thunder and lightning during the brief rain fall and unfortunately, Mrs Yegwa was struck dead by one of those fierce lightnings that hit the church,” Tony, a source in the area, told Vanguard.

The church, which shares a fence with the edifice of Mr. John Odey, the former Minister of Environment, was pulled down by angry relatives of the woman, which stopped the church from holding services, yesterday.

The source said: “The relatives stormed the church soon after the incident and pulled it down. As I speak to you, there is no church service going on there today, Sunday.”

The Police Public Relations Officer for Cross River State Command, Mr. Hogan Bassey, said he was yet to receive reports of the incident from the Divisional Police Officer for the area.