over a Lagos State Coroner Court
investigating the collapse of a six-storey
guest house belonging to the Synagogue
Church of All Nations, yesterday, suspended
further actions on the invitation of founder of
the church, Prophet Temitope Joshua, to
appear before it and give evidence.
Komolafe suspended Joshua's appearance
pending determination of his suit against the
coroner. The inquest was inaugurated by the
Lagos State government under the state
Coroner's System Law No.7 of 2007 to
investigate the cause and circumstances
leading to the death of about 166 people in a
collapse building belonging to the church on
September 12, 2014.
It would be recalled that Komolafe had issued
witness summons on relevant individuals and
institutions, including Prophet T.B. Joshua.
But instead of appearing before the coroner,
Joshua filed an application before Justice
Lateefat Okunnu of the Lagos High Court,
Ikeja, to stay further proceedings of the
inquest and suspend actions on his invitation
to appear before the coroner to give evidence.
In the application dated November 11, 2014,
before the high court and marked
ID/188MJR/2014, Joshua had asked for a
judicial review of the coroner's proceedings,
which began on October 13.
He had asked the 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, 2014, to hear the
application.
Komolafe had last week Friday dismissed a
similar application filed by Joshua before him
on the ground that it was 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.
Earlier, 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 Synagogue church building
collapsed.
Arogunjo, testifying before the coroner said
the aircraft never flew directly over the
collapsed building. The witness added that
the aircraft maintained the statutory 1,000
feet flight distance in congested areas.
He said the "aircraft had to fly over the Ikotun
area for about six times due to the high traffic
on in-coming aircraft at the Murtala
Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja,
Lagos."
"Each of the six times the aircraft navigated
the Ikotun area, it maintained a 2,700 feet
distance from the collapsed building."
"The aircraft had five crew members, it
operated normally and maintained the
minimum distance between a flying aircraft
and the tallest building in an area," he said.
Posted By David Aniemeka
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