The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Synagogue building collapse

  • Building collapse: Synagogue church opens defence May 10

    A Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere on Friday adjourned till May 10 for the Registered Trustees of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) to explain its role in a building collapse that killed 116 persons on September 12, 2014.

    Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo fixed the date following the absence of Synagogue Trustee’s first witness, a police officer.

    The church was scheduled to open its defence to a one count charge of building without approval following the dismissal of its no-case submission on March 8, 2016.

    But its counsel, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), told the judge that the witness, who was not named, was unavailable, despite being served a subpoena commanding him to appear in court.

    Fagbemi persuaded the judge that it was necessary to call that witness first, because he, or she, would “lay the groundwork.

    “We are to open our defence. We prepared a subpoena that was served. But the witness is not around because of distance. The first witness was transferred to Port-Harcourt. He used to be at Ikotun Egbe. We are bogged down by this bureaucratic bottleneck. The witness is necessary to lay the groundwork. In the circumstances, we cannot proceed,” Fagbemi said.

    Although prosecution counsel, Dr. Jide Martins did not oppose Fagbemi’s application for adjournment, he observed that another witness could have been prepared to testify on the matter.

    Martins said: “Without sounding pedantic, I would have thought an alternative witness would have been produced by the defence.”

    In a bench ruling, Justice Lawal-Akapo held: “By consent of all parties, I hereby adjourn till May 10 and 11 for the defence to open its case. The May 4 date is hereby vacated.”

    The Lagos State Government had on April 19, 2016 arraigned Synagogue Trustees, alongside the two engineers who built the building – Messrs Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela Fatiregun – and their companies – Hardrock Construction and Engineering Company and Jandy Trust Limited.

    The Synagogue Trustees is facing one count charge of building without approval, while the other defendants were docked on 110- count charge of involuntary manslaughter.

    The Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) said the defendants violated Section 75 of the Urban and Regional Planning Law of Lagos State, 2010 as well as Section 222 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

    The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

  • Structural defects caused Synagogue’s building collapse – Witness

    Structural defects caused Synagogue’s building collapse – Witness

    A Structural Engineer, Oreoluwa Fadayomi, on Thursday told the Lagos High Court, Ikeja, that the Synagogue Church of all Nations guest house collapsed due to structural defects.

    Fadayomi, who is the seventh prosecution witness, stated this during the trial of Synagogue Trustees and the two engineers involved in the construction of the collapsed guest house.

    At least 118 persons, mostly South Africans died in the September 12, 2014 building collapse.

    The Synagogue Trustees, the two engineers, Messrs Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela Fatiregun and their companies, Hardrock Construction and Engineering Company and Jandy Trust Limited, were arraigned before Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo for their roles in the incident.

    They were arraigned by Lagos State Government for criminal negligence, manslaughter and failure to obtain building permit.

    The witness, a registered civil engineer, told the court that the building did not have rigid strong points at the two ends of the structure.

    He added that the reinforcement was lower than what is expected of a robust structure like the church’s guest house.

     

  • South African kids sue Synagogue founder over dad’s death

    South African kids sue Synagogue founder over dad’s death

    Two South African children have filed a suit against the founder of Synagogue Church of All Nations, Pastor Temitope Joshua and seven others over the death of their father in the September 2014 building collapse in the church.

    Six-year-old Nora Furah Wa Kalambaie and her three-year-old brother Bulungu Malaika Wa Kalambaie, filed the suit at Lagos State High Court, Igbosere, on Tuesday.

    They are seeking an order directing Joshua and other defendants to pay them R8, 772,000 as cost and damages for the death of their father, Kalambaie Wa Kalambaie.

    They claimed that the deceased was one of the 116 people, mostly foreigners, killed in the building collapse.

    Listed as co-defendants are – Registered Trustees of Synagogue, Jadny Trust Limited; Hardrock Construction and Engineering Company and two engineers, Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela Fatiregun.

    Also joined in the suit are – Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice and the state Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.

  • Building collapse: Synagogue holds memorial service for victims

    The Synagogue, Church of All Nations will on Saturday hold a memorial service for the victims of the September 12, 2014 building collapse in the Ikotun, Lagos, premises of the church as part of activities commemorating the incident’s second year anniversary.

    Similar church service will also hold in South Africa, the home nation of several victims of the building collapse.

    A statement issued by the church on Friday said the founder of Synagogue, Pastor T.B. Joshua, will lead the memorial church service in Nigeria, while a delegation of the church is already in South Africa for the memorial service being planned for the Martyrs of faith.

    It added that the entire Synagogue family across the world will join forces to pray for the repose of the victims’ souls.

     

  • Synagogue: Coroner ends sittings in March

    Synagogue: Coroner ends sittings in March

    The Lagos State Coroner, Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe, on Tuesday said the inquest into the September 12, 2014 building collapse at the Synagogue Church of All Nations would be concluded in March.

    Chief Magistrate Komolafe stated this at the resumption of the inquest at the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja.

    The inquest was set up by the state government to unravel the cause of the building collapse at the church premises in Ikotun, a suburb of Lagos.

    About 115 persons mostly South Africans died in the incident.

    The coroner told the parties that the inquest could not go on as scheduled because the court was in possession of a letter from Synagogue’s counsel, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, asking for an adjournment.

    Ojo in the letter claimed that he was appearing in another case at the Federal High Court and had appealed to the inquest to vacate the Tuesday and Wednesday sittings.

    “This court cannot continue indefinitely. I just want to say that I am not going to sit for more than two weeks.

    “Anybody that will not come during that period, we will skip his or her testimony and move ahead.”

    He therefore adjourned the matter till February 26 for cross-examination of the church Chief Security Officer, Mr. Sunday Okojie.

  • Synagogue: South Africa’s death toll rises to 115

    Synagogue: South Africa’s death toll rises to 115

    The South Africa’s death toll from the collapse of a Synagogue Church for all Nations’ building in Lagos has risen to 115, the country’s minister Jeff Radebe said on Monday, urging Nigerian government to investigate the “tragedy.”

    Radebe said 84 South Africans who were part of visiting church groups had died in the September 12 incident.

    He was speaking at an air force base north of Johannesburg where 25 South Africans who were injured returned for treatment.

    Reuters reports that the Nigerian Emergency Management Agency put the total death toll at 86.