The Registered Trustees of the Synagogue Church
Of All Nations, founded by Prophet TB Joshua,
have filed another suit to stop the Lagos State
Government from going ahead with their
prosecution before the Lagos High Court in Ikeja
over the death of 116 persons on September 12, 2014 when a six-storey building collapsed on the
premises of the church in Ikotun area of the State.
In the fresh suit filed before Justice Kazeem Alogba
of Ikeja High Court, the Trustees o
f the church are asking the court to stop their
proposed arraignment before Justice Lawal Lateef- Akapo of the same court.
The Lagos State Government had had filed 111
counts against the Registered Trustees of SCOAN,
two engineers and two companies over the death
of the 116 persons.
The arraignment of the accused had been
scheduled for Tuesday, January 19, 2016 before Justice Lawal-Akapo.
But in their fresh action, the applicants are urging
Justice Alogba to call for the record of proceedings
of a Lagos State Coroner Court, presided by Mr.
Oyetade Komolafe, which indicted them and
recommended them for criminal prosecutions.
Komolafe, who conducted an inquest into the
death of the 116 victims of the SCOAN’s building
collapse, had on July 8, 2015 decided that the
building which killed them was built without
approval, adding that its collapse was due to
structural defect.
But SCOAN and its engineers – Messrs Oladele
Ogundeji and Akinbela Fatiregun, had rejected the
verdict, describing it as unreasonable and one-
sided.
In September 2015, Justice Ibrahim Buba of the
Federal High Court in Lagos had dismissed two
similar actions filed by the engineers to squash the
coroner’s verdict and prevent their arraignment.
In their fresh suit before Justice Alogba, they are
seeking a judicial review of the Coroner’s proceedings, for the purpose of quashing it.
They are also seeking an order of perpetual
injunction restraining the Attorney General of
Lagos State, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, or any officer
under his authority from taking any step to
enforce the recommendations of the Coroner,
including their prosecution. When the matter came up on Monday before Justice Alogba, the case could not go on as
Magistrate Komolafe was absent in court and was
not represented by any lawyer.
But a lawyer who represented the Attorney
General, Barr. A. O Idowu however pleaded with
the court for time to file a response to the suit, while Justice Alogba adjourned till February 4, 2016 for hearing.
Meanwhile, the State Government has vowed to
challenge the fresh suit, as government was
desirous of pursuing the issues relating to the
matter to a logical conclusion.
SIGNED
BOLA AKINGBADE
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, PUBLIC RELATIONS
MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
JANUARY 18, 2016
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