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Tag: Synagogue

  • Synagogue: Coroner inquest to end March

    Synagogue: Coroner inquest to end March

    THE inquest into last September 12 Syna-gogue Church of All

    Nations (SCOAN) building collapse will end next month, the Coroner, Chief Magis-trate Oyetade Komolafe said yesterday.

    He, however, said the in-quest could not proceed yes-terday because of a letter from SCOAN’s counsel Ola-lekan Ojo, praying for an ad-journment.

    Chief Magistrate Komo-lafe adjourned till tomorrow for cross-examination of SCOAN’s Chief Security Of-ficer (CSO) Sunday Okojie.

    Lagos State government raised the inquest to unravel the cause of the building col-lapse in which 115 persons mostly from South Africa died.

    In his letter, Ojo claimed that he was appearing in an-other case at the Federal High Court and appealed to the coroner to adjourn to a more convenient date for him.

    Ruling, Chief Magistrate Komolafe said: “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.”

     

  • Synagogue: Coroner inquest to end March

    Synagogue: Coroner inquest to end March

    THE inquest into last September 12 Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) building collapse will end next month, the Coroner, Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe said yesterday.

    He, however, said the inquest could not proceed yesterday because of a letter from SCOAN’s counsel Olalekan Ojo, praying for an adjournment.

    Chief Magistrate Komolafe adjourned till tomorrow for cross-examination of SCOAN’s Chief Security Officer (CSO) Sunday Okojie.

    Lagos State government raised the inquest to unravel the cause of the building collapse in which 115 persons mostly from South Africa died.

    In his letter, Ojo claimed that he was appearing in another case at the Federal High Court and appealed to the coroner to adjourn to a more convenient date for him.

    Ruling, Chief Magistrate Komolafe said: “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.”

  • Synagogue accuses coroner of exceeding jurisdiction

    The Synagogue Church of All Nations on Thursday accused the coroner making inquest into the September 12, 2014 building collapse at the church of exceeding its jurisdiction as a court.

    The church made the claim through its counsel, Chief Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), while arguing an application filed against the coroner, Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe and the Lagos State Government before Justice Lateefat Okunnu of a Lagos High Court, Ikeja.

    It therefore urged the court to declare the coroner proceedings so far as null and void.

    Moving its application before the trial judge, Fagbemi accused the coroner of hearing and taking evidences on extraneous issues at the inquest since sitting commenced on October13, 2014.

    He alleged that Komolafe had been hearing evidences on such extraneous issues since its sitting began.

    Fagbemi argued that under the Lagos State Coroner’s Law 2007, the coroner court was only empowered to determine the cause of death and to identify the body of the deceased persons.
    According to the lawyer, issues such as approval and construction of the collapsed building are clearly outside the scope and jurisdiction of the coroner’s court.

    To buttress his argument, he cited sections 32 and 33 of the Coroner Law which he asserted was very clear on manners of persons to appear before the inquest to give evidence.

    Fagbemi argued that the summons issued against the SCOAN’s founder, Prophet Temitope Joshua, to personally appear before the inquest was unconstitutional and a breach of his right to fair hearing.

     

  • Synagouge: Poor attendance stalls coroner inquest

    Synagouge: Poor attendance stalls coroner inquest

    … Sitting now holds February 17

    The coroner inquest into September 12, 2014 building collapse at the Synagouge Church of All Nations (SCOAN) failed to sit on Tuesday.

    Although the coroner, Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe, was on ground, the court recorded poor turnout of lawyers and interested parties.

    The development made Chief Magistrate Komolafe to adjourn till February 17 for continuation of hearing.

    Before fixing the date for sitting of the court, the chief magistrate expressed the court’s determination to see to the end of the matter within the next two weeks.

    He therefore urged lawyers and interested parties against deploying delay tactics into the proceedings of the court.

    He said the remaining days of this week would be used to give interested parties the opportunity to view the CCTV footage already filed in evidence before the court.

    It would be recalled that the strike embarked upon by members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), between January 5 and 25, 2015 had made it impossible for the court to resume sitting.

    The court had on December 23, 2014 earlier adjourned till January 6 when it hoped that Justice Lateefat Okunnu would rule on an application filed by the founder of SCOAN, Pastor Temitope Joshua.

     

  • Synagogue: South Africa to repatriate remaining bodies

    South Africa will this week convey home the remaining bodies of its nationals killed in the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) building collapse last September 12.

    Minister in the presidency Jeff Radebe told reporters that a South African airforce C130 aircraft would be dispatched to Lagos Monday “to bring the mortal remains of those that have been positively identified.”

    Of the 81 bodies, 70 were repatriated in November, two months after the collapse of the multi-storey building.

    The outstanding 11 are still undergoing DNA identification.

    “Our repatriation team is departing this afternoon for Lagos,” said Radebe, and “when they land, we will know precisely how many South Africans will be repatriated.”

    Nigerian authorities have been driving the testing and verification process.

    A delayed rescue operation, “climatic conditions” and the sheer number of victims that had to be identified were responsible for the prolonged wait for the bodies, Radebe said.

    No fewer than 116 people, including Nigerians and other foreign nationals, were killed in the incident.

    The Lagos State coroner is conducting an inquest into the incident.

  • Rights groups allege foul-play in Synagogue building probe

    Rights groups allege foul-play in Synagogue building probe

    The Nigerian Human Rights Community (NHRC) has urged the Federal Government to release the report of its investigation into the collapsed Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) guest house last September 12.

    Also, the Pan-Yoruba group, Oodua Nationalist Coalition (ONAC), a coalition of 35 Yoruba self-determination groups, has urged the United Nations (UN) to join in the investigation of the causes of the tragedy.

    The NHRC, a coalition of 135 civil right groups, failure to release the report, suggests a cover which strengthens the growing public perception that the collapse was as a result of a bomb attack.

    In a statement signed by Mallam Yaya Abdulkadir, NHRC urged the Federal Government and the police to determine the cause of the collapse of the since many Nigerians believe that it might have been caused by a bomb.

    “The Federal Government and the police owe Nigerians and the world the urgent need to get to the root of this matter. Many Nigerians now think that the building may have been brought down through a bomb attack. It is imperative to allay the fears of the public,” the statement claims.

    According to the statement, despite the presence of the strange plane around the building, there has not been any statement by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) or the military authority, to clarify the mission.

    Rising from its National Working Committee (NWC) meeting ONAC condemned the investigation into the collapse, alleging: “There is a grand conspiracy to malign the Pastor of SCOAN, Temitope Joshua.

    “We are left with no room but to conclude that the attack was planned. There have been a series of evidence by experts, showing that the collapse of that building was an extra-ordinary affair. There is the need for international investigators to show interest in this case.”

    In a statement signed by its Director of Publicity, Popoola Ajayi, ONAC said: “In the intelligence world, there are all sorts of intrigues and games of treachery. We have seen 20,000 people killed in the drive to assassinate only one person. The international investigators from the UN will have to determine whether the attack was part of a global campaign against Christianity, a lone plot targeting an individual or a combination of both.”

  • Synagogue: Rescue agencies not prevented, says witness

    Synagogue: Rescue agencies not prevented, says witness

    The Lagos coroner heard yesterday that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) were not barred from carrying out rescue work at the site of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) collapsed guest house.

    SCOAN’s Chief Security Officer (CSO), Sunday Okogie, told the coroner, Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe, that no member of the church prevented NEMA and LASEMA officials from rescuing people trapped under the collapsed building.

    The CSO, who tendered the unedited Close Circuit Television (CCTV) footages of the incident from September 12 to September 16, told the court that the recordings contradicted the claims of the agencies that members of the church were hostile and prevented them from accessing the scene of the incident.

    Okogie pointed out that both agencies arrived at the church about an hour after the building collapsed and gained access to the scene in less than a minute.

    “My Lord, on the first day of the incident, as you can see, nobody prevented them from entering into the compound. But as you can see from the video, LASEMA came with only one bus and no heavy-duty equipment as they claimed before this court. It was the same for NEMA. They came ill-equipped for the job of digging out those who were trapped under the rubble,” he said.

    The witness said NEMA and LASEMA officials left the church about 5.45 pm when several persons were still trapped.

    “For the first three days, that was how they were operating. They would resume at about 8 am and leave in the evening as though they were on duty in the office,” he added.

    Also testifying, National Executive Coordinator of Life Savers Foundation (LSF) Mrs. Fola Shoetan said youths from SCOAN played a major role in the rescue work compared to the agencies’ officials.

    She said under the statute, responders were not supposed to move away from a disaster site.

    Shoetan said: “I don’t know when NEMA officials left the scene on the first day. But LASEMA officials left at 10.30 pm on the second day. As at the time LASEMA officials left on the second day, some persons were still trapped at the collapsed site.

    “The LASEMA General Manager (GM), Dr Femi Osanyintolu, did not cooperate very well with other responders and I kept telling him that. Although he is very hard working and always around at the site, what he did most of the time he was around was to hold meetings with his team from the state.”

    She added: “The police, I can confirm were present all through the period of the rescue operation and no security agent ever stopped us from working and to the best of my knowledge nobody was assaulted.”

    She said from her observations, NEMA and LASEMA were not well equipped to manage disasters.

    The witness urged the Federal and Lagos State governments to ensure that adequate equipment are provided for the agencies to effectively contain emergencies.

    Testifying on the role played by her agency and others, she said more Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) should be allowed in rescue operations.

  • Synagogue: NEMA, LASEMA not prevented from rescue operations – Witness

    Synagogue: NEMA, LASEMA not prevented from rescue operations – Witness

    The Lagos coroner heard on Tuesday that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) were given unfettered access to carry out rescue operations during the September 12 building collapse at the Synagogue Church of All Nations.

    Synagogue’s Chief Security Officer (CSO), Sunday Okogie, made this known at the resumed sitting of the coroner inquest into the incident.

    Okogie told the coroner court presided by Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe that no member of the church stopped or prevented NEMA and LASEMA officials from rescuing people trapped under the collapsed guest house.

    The CSO, who submitted the unedited Close Circuit Television (CCTV) footages of the incident from September 12 to September 16 told the court that the recordings contradicted the claims of the agencies that members of the church were hostile and prevented them from accessing the collapsed building site.

    Okogie pointed out that both agencies arrived at the church about an hour after the building collapsed and gained access to the scene in less than a minute.

    “My Lord, on the first day of the incident, as you can see, nobody prevented them from entering into the compound. But as you can see from the video, LASEMA came with only one bus and no heavy duty equipment as they claimed before this court.

    “The same thing happened with NEMA. They came ill-equipped for the job of digging out those who were trapped under the rubbles.”

    Okogie further told the court that NEMA and LASEMA officials left the church at about 05:45pm, when several persons were still trapped.

  • Synagogue: Akoko indigenes in prayer, fasting sessions

    Community leaders in Akokoland of Ondo State have embarked on marathon prayer and fasting sessions for what they called God’s intervention on the plight of their kinsman and founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Pastor T.B Joshua.

    They also urged President Goodluck Jonathan to order the Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, to investigate the suspected plane that hovered round the SCOAN guest house before it collapsed.

    The building killed scores of devotees, many of whom were South African nationals.

    A group, Arigidi Peace Forum (AFP), in a statement issued in Akure, the Ondo State capital, noted that the issue should not be politicised in the interest of justice.

    The statement signed by the Chairman, Olufemi Owadokun, and Secretary General, Ayaki Festus, said, “We have watched with concern the plight of our kinsman since the building collapse; he is being treated as if he deliberately caused the guest house to collapse.

    “It is unfortunate that the man of God suffered a double loss of his church members and valuable properties, while his detractors are still not resting in vilifying him.

    “The SCOAN pastor is a philanthropist and lover of the less privileged who extended his humanitarian service to all crisis-ridden regions of the world and has contributed to the economy of Nigeria.”

    The Arigidi Akoko leaders said they were not against the prosecution of Joshua if he is found wanting, but, however, added that he should not be judged before he is found guilty.

  • Synagogue: Collapsed building has approval – Witness

    Synagogue: Collapsed building has approval – Witness

    The Lagos Coroner Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, heard on Thursday that the collapsed building at the Synagogue Church of All Nations, Ikotun, had approval.

    A witness, Mr. Bisi Adedire told the coroner court presided by Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe that the collapsed building got the approval of the Lagos State government.

    The disclosure however negates that of the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Develpoment, Oluwatoyin Ayinde, who told the coroner last month that the collapsed six-storey building has no government approval.

    But at the resumed sitting of the court, Adedire, a Town Planner, disclosed that the church has paid over N20 million to the state government for the building approval.
    He, however, maintained that what determines the strength of a building is the way materials were applied and not whether or not the building has approval.

    Adedire added that an approval can be secured even for a building that is already in existence.

    The court thereafter, admitted in evidence, the building plan of the collapsed guest house and other structures within the church.

    Earlier in his testimony, the Deputy General Manager, Air Traffic Control of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Rafiq Olubukola Arogunjo, told the coroner that the aircraft that allegedly hovered around the collapsed guest house, while orbiting did not fly below 1,100 feet.

    Arogunjo said, “We observed that the pilot maintained 1,100 feet at all material times during the training operation.

    “There is no way I would have known the intention of the pilot on the day of the incident. I can also confirm that the flight plan was submitted to me, but cannot remember the name of the pilot that flew the aircraft that flew on the day of the incident.

    “I don’t also know what the aircraft was carrying that day, and the identity of those in the aircraft is not known to me. I have no knowledge of the gadgets on board the flight and I don’t know the use with which the flight was deployed on the day under review.”