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Court to rule July 8 in Synagogue Church building collapse inquest

By Yetunde Ayobami Ojo
03 June 2015   |   1:33 am
THE coroner court conducting investigation into the collapse of a building belonging to the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN)‎ has fixed July 8, 2015 to deliver judgment in the inquest. The presiding Chief Magistrate, Oyetade Komolafe, fixed the date yesterday after parties made their final submission on the matter before the court. It would…
TB-JOSHUA

TB Joshua

THE coroner court conducting investigation into the collapse of a building belonging to the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN)‎ has fixed July 8, 2015 to deliver judgment in the inquest.

The presiding Chief Magistrate, Oyetade Komolafe, fixed the date yesterday after parties made their final submission on the matter before the court.

It would be recalled that on September 12, 2014, a six-storey building within the premises of the church collapsed, which left 116 persons dead.

Lagos State government therefore set up an inquest to ascertain the cause of the building collapse, identify the victims and how they died.

Founder and Senior Pastor of the church, Prophet Temitope Joshua, had initially linked the incident to a strange aircraft hovering above the building shortly before the structure collapsed. The CCTV video was subsequently released by the church on social media platforms showing the plane allegedly hovering over the building before it crumbled.

Various organisations testified as witnesses during the proceedings, which lasted about eight months, giving various reasons why the building collapsed.

T.B Joshua refused to appear before the inquest insisting that he was not under any obligation to testify before the coroner. Although an appeal he filed before a Lagos High Court was overruled, he still did not appear before the panel.

At yesterday’s proceedings, counsel to SCOAN, Mr. Olalekan Ojo in his final address insisted that external forces remain the cause of the tragedy.

He referred to the testimony of a 37 year-old graduate of Chemistry from the University of Maiduguri, Mr. Biedomo Iguniewe, who suggested that the building might have collapsed due to infrasonic radiation.

Ojo further argued on the testimony of another witness that the non-existence of a building plan as stated by the Lagos State Government has nothing to do with the structure of the building, which he maintained was constructed according to standard.

Ojo submitted that the contract for the collapsed building was awarded to competent engineers and if anyone must be questioned for the tragedy, it should be the engineers and not the Synagogue Church.

He, therefore, admonished the Lagos State Government to take appropriate steps to regularise the building construction and approval applications shown to be pending with the relevant state agencies.

After listening to all the counsel, Magistrate Komolafe thanked everyone who helped the inquest to arrive at a just judgment.

He thereafter adjourned judgment till July 8, 2015‎.

4 Comments

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    • Author’s gravatar

      If this is what you and your judges have predetermined already please remember that this nation is still subject to the rule of law and the right to fair hearing and fair judgement generally speaking

  • Author’s gravatar

    Mr Joshua, your lawyer has finally confessed that there was no building plan for the skyscraper you were building, meaning also that there was no legally issued building permit by the Lagos state government. This shows conclusively that the building was nothing but a sacrificial altar for the demonic gods you worship. On the day the demons requested the human sacrifice, you obliged them and the building collapsed.

    After the building collapsed, good Samaritans who wanted to rescue victims were refused access to the site by your hypnotized disciples, your men wanted to give the gods enough time to drink enough blood. Even when official government emergency agencies arrived, they were denied entrance. The feast of the gods was not to be disturbed.

    When the heat of media attention got too much you started bribing journalist even while victims were still trapped under the rubble and the blood of the dead was still wet. Also, in the mist of the elaborate satanic ritual feast, the clown from otuoke appeared to pay you respect for a job well done. He wanted to tap into the powers released by the demons to win the election. But little did he know that all he would get from the gods were blood stained shoes.

    When the disaster was brought before a magistrate for full investigation, all they got from you was a video tape of aircrafts doing acrobatic maneuvers at some air show. You claimed that Nigeria just witnessed its first 911 twin tower collapse. You brought in a graduate of Chemistry from the University of Maiduguri, and made him swear that the collapse of your, no building permit having skyscraper, was a result of controlled demolition. In your wisdom a chemistry graduate is better than a civil engineer in building matters.

    All through the inquiry you refused to show your face. You used all the legal acrobats known to lawyers to avoid turning up. In fact you even queried why this should be an inquest into the death of 119 persons. That number of deaths was to small to disturb the prayer sessions of an important man of God like yourself. Curiously instead of your congregation diminishing, it grew bigger. For each person killed the gods added 500 more foolish people. Your services was even more in demand in other countries than ever before.

  • Author’s gravatar

    Unthinkable in a civilised world that a person or a body can refuse to honour the courts order and get away with it.
    Impunity is everywhere in Nigeria. Even the so called man of (God?), I disagree he is, claim to be above the justice.

    And the judiciary? As helpless as a toothless tiger. Unthinkable in a civilised DEMOCRATIC world!