Synagogue: Inquest Suspends Joshua’s Appearance Pending High Court Suit

Synagogue: Inquest Suspends Joshua’s Appearance Pending High Court Suit

The coroner’s inquest into the circumstances that led to the collapse of a six-storey guest house belonging to the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) has suspended further actions on the invitation of the founder of the church, Prophet Temitope Joshua, to appear to give evidence before it.

The coroner, Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe, suspended Joshua’s appearance pending the determination of his suit before Justice Lateefat Okunnu of an Ikeja High Court.

Komolafe had issued witness summons on relevant individuals and institutions including Prophet Joshua, to appear before the inquest to give evidence.

The inquest was inaugurated by the Lagos State Government in line with the state Coroner’s System Law No.7 of 2007 to investigate the causes and circumstances leading to the death of 166 people following the collapse on September 12, 2014 and bring its findings and recommendations to the appropriate authorities.

But Joshua, instead of appearing before the Coroner’s court, had filed an application before Justice Okunnu to stay further proceedings and suspend further actions on his invitation to appear to give evidence before it, pending the determination of his suit.

Joshua in the said application dated November 11 and marked ID/188MJR/2014, had asked for a judicial review of the coroner’s proceedings, which began on October 13.

He had asked the High Court to declare that his invitation to appear as a witness before the coroner was a breach of his right to fair hearing, as no case had been established against his person before the coroner.

He further contested that the coroner had been extending his inquisitions into areas beyond its statutory purview. Justice Okunnu had fixed December 22 to hear the application.

Komolafe had last week dismissed a similar application filed by Joshua before him on the grounds that it was an abuse of court process. The Coroner, after listening to an oral application by Joshua’s lead counsel, Chief Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), decided to suspend Joshua’s appearance pending the determination of his suit before the High Court.

Meanwhile, in his testimony before the inquest yesterday, a Deputy General Manager, Air Traffic Control, with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr. Rafiq Olubukola Arogunjo, confirmed that a Nigerian Air Force aircraft was on a training mission within the Ikotun area on September 12 when the six-storey building collapsed.

Arogunjo who stated that the aircraft never flew directly over the collapsed building, noting that the aircraft maintained the statutory 1,000 feet flight distance in congested areas.

According to him, the controversial aircraft had to fly over the Ikotun area for about six times due to the high traffic on incoming aircraft at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

Arogunjo said on each of the six times that the aircraft navigated the Ikotun area, it maintained a 2,700 feet distance from the collapsed building.

He also stated that the aircraft which had five crew members, operated normally and maintained the minimum distance between a flying aircraft and the tallest building in an area and could not have had anything to do with the building collapsed.

Also, the collapsed building contractor, Mr. Akinbela Fatiregun was in court on Monday for the first time.

Fatiregun, however, could not give his evidence yesterday due to his ill-health.

According to him, he had to managed to come to the court from his hospital bed to show that he had not being evading appearance.

The matter has been adjourned till Wednesday, December 17.

Source: This Day Live