The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, says he will enforce the verdict of the coroner's inquest on the September 12, 2014 Synagogue Church building collapse which entails the Prosecution of T.B Joshua's synagogue and the construction engineers.
Prophet T.B Joshua
The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has stated that the Lagos State Government will back the coroner in his quest to prosecute the people responsible for the collapse of the church building that killed over a hundred people in Lagos.
The Coroner will prosecute the contractor, Akinbela Fatiregun of Hardrock Engineering Company Limited; and the Structural Engineer, Oladele Ogundeji, who constructed and supervised the collapsed building, respectively, at the Synagogue Church of All Nations for professional negligence, and the church also for failing to get the necessary approval for the building.
The governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Habib Aruna, on Thursday, said his government would uphold and enforce the sanctity of the law in the state, urging residents of the state to also respect the rule of law.
Ambode said, “The coroner’s verdict of July 7, 2015, made a number of recommendations which the state government would act upon accordingly.
“One of the provisions of the Coroner Law, 2007, is the provision that empowers a coroner to commence an inquest to find out the cause and manner of death which occur in an unusual manner.”
The governor added that consequent upon the collapse building on the premises of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, the state government applied that a coroner’s inquest be commenced into the cause of the tragic deaths.
He said, “Therefore, the Lagos State Government will cause the prosecution of the contractor, Akinbela Fatiregun of Hardrock Engineering Company Limited; and the Structural Engineer, Oladele Ogundeji, who constructed and supervised the collapsed building, respectively, at the Synagogue Church of All Nations for professional negligence.”
The governor added that the government would also prosecute SCOAN for neglecting to obtain building approval before commencing the construction of the building, contrary to the provisions of the Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law, 2010.
He ended with an appeal to people to allow emergency workers do their jobs in case of any accidents to help curtail the risks and losses.
It would be recalled that the incident took place on the 12th of September, 2014 which lead to the death of over a hundred people from Nigeria, south Africa and other countries.