Building Collapse: LASG Asks Court to Dismiss Synagogue’s Suit

The Lagos State government has urged a Lagos High Court in Ikeja to dismiss with substantial cost, a suit filed by the Registered Trustees of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), challenging the verdict of the Coroner Inquest into the collapse of a six-storey building within the church premises on September 12, 2014 that led to the death of 116 persons.

The verdict of the Coroner, presided over by Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe, was delivered on July 8, 2015 and same indicted the church and its engineers for criminal negligence and recommended them for prosecution.

The Lagos State government had thereafter, filed 111 counts criminal charge against the trustees of the church, the two engineers and two companies before Justice Lawal Akapo also of the Ikeja High Court.

Magistrate Komolafe had held that the building that killed the victims was built without approval, adding that its collapse was due to structural defect.

But the church and its engineers, Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela Fatiregun, rejected the verdict, describing it as unreasonable and one-sided.

When the matter came up before Justice Alogba on Thursday, lawyer to the Trustees, Mr E.L. Akpofure (SAN) said that Magistrate Komolafe erred in law to have sat as Coroner Court in Alimosho District, which he argued was non-existent.

Akpofure also referred to an argument of the Lagos State government to the effect that the criminal charge filed before Justice Akapo was pursuant to the investigation conducted by the Police and not the decision of the Coroner, saying that such argument was a confirmation that no investigation was conducted because the Police never interrogated the Trustees of the church.

In response, Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Adeniji Kazeem, said on Thursday that the issue of wrong heading of the nomenclature of the Coroner was a mere irregularity which lacked the vibe to render the proceedings of the Coroner invalid.

While describing it as a mere technical point, Kazeem said that such argument was not directed at substantial justice and as such, the court should discountenance it.

Justice Alogba, in a brief bench ruling, said that he would give the matter the urgency it deserved being a matter of public importance.

The judge consequently fixed February 19 for judgment on the matter.