FOLLOWING a suit filed by a lawyer, Olukoya Ogungbeje, seeking to halt the ongoing coroner inquest into the collapse of a six-storey building within the premises of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), the   Federal High Court in Lagos, on Monday, fixed November 17, for judgment in the matter.

Trial judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba, gave the judgment date after entertaining arguments from the applicant and the respondents.

It will be recalled that the sad incident occurred on September 12, at the Synagogue Church in Ikotun, Lagos, with a total of 116 persons, mostly foreigners, so far confirmed dead.

The Lagos State government had set up the coroner inquest and appointed Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe to preside over the inquest.

At the resumed hearing on Monday, the applicant (Ogungbeje) adopted arguments in support of the suit, urging the court to grant the prayers sought.

The state government, represented by a senior official with the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Kamar Bakare, equally adopted the counter-affidavit of the respondents in opposition to the suit.

In the counter-affidavit, the government explained that the inquest into the collapsed building was initiated due to public outcry on the need to investigate circumstances surrounding the death of about 116 people.

The government further argued that the inquest was also initiated, pursuant to the provisions of Coroner System Law of Lagos State, 2007, duly passed into law by the Lagos State House of Assembly.

According to the government, the allegations in the suit were untrue, as the inquest was not a regular court, but just on a fact-finding assignment to unravel what actually went down.

The government further recalled  that the preliminary investigation carried out by the Lagos State Building Control Agency revealed that the church never got approval for the additional structures on the collapsed building.

Besides, government argued that the applicant (Ogungbeje) lacked the locus standi to sustain the suit, as he was neither a member of the Synagogue Church nor was he personally affected by the inquest.

The applicant, on his part, adopted his arguments, as well as replied on points of law and urged the court to enter judgment against the respondents.

According to the suit, the applicant was contending that the composition of the coroner inquest was a negation of the principle of natural justice and Section 36 of the Constitution and as such, was unconstitutional, null and void.

The lawyer recalled that the coroner inquest was constituted by the Lagos State government after the agencies of the state government had indicted the founder of  Synagogue Church, Prophet T.B Joshua and his church of wrongdoing by adding additional structures to the building without approval.

He argued that if allowed to continue, the proceedings of the coroner inquest would seriously occasion miscarriage of justice, as the same coroner would base its decision on the testimonies of the same agencies of Lagos State, which had openly indicted Joshua and his church.

For instance, the lawyer recalled that the Lagos State Emergency Agency (LASEMA), the Lagos State Building Control Agency, the Lagos State Fire Service, the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) and others made public and prejudicial report in public domain that the building collapsed as a result of additional structures, while Joshua’s claim that the building collapsed as a result of an aircraft hovering over the building moments before it collapsed, was ignored.

Ogungbeje added: “The Lagos State Building Control Agency even went ahead to seal up the main building of the church.”
Source :TRIBUNE
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MUSLIMS AGAINST CHRISTIANS. PEOPLE MAY NOT SEE IT NOW BUT WILL SURELY DO LATER.

LAGOS STATE MUSLIM GOVERNOR FASHOLA IS PLANNING TO RELOCATE SYNAGOGUE CHURCH OF ALL NATIONS.