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Synagogue: TB Joshua’s application stalls coroner’s inquest

Synagogue Church
| credits: File copy  
The coroner probing the September 12 Synagogue  building collapse in Lagos, Magistrate A.O. Komolafe, on Wednesday suspended further sitting till Friday, December 5, 2014.

Due to the abrupt suspension of the court’s proceeding on Wednesday, Komolafe could not take the testimonies of all the witnesses that had been invited to appear before the court.

The decision to suspend sitting came after the Founder of the Synagogue Church Of All Nations, Prophet T.B. Joshua, through his counsel, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, had informed Komolafe of a pending application before Justice Lateefat Okunnu of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja.

In the said application, Joshua had asked for a judicial review of the coroner’s proceedings.

Among other things, Joshua also asked that the invitation served on him to appear before the coroner should be put on hold pending the outcome of the application before Justice Okunnu.

At the commencement of Wednesday’s proceeding, Ojo reminded the coroner of the application, adding that he had just served it on the Lagos State Government.

Ojo said the application was not yet ripe for hearing because he had yet to serve it on all the other necessary parties to enable them reply as appropriate.

Responding, counsel for the Lagos State Government, Mr. Femi Adamson, confirmed that his clients had just been served and that they had not filed their reply.

The coroner said it was only proper to dispense with the application first before going on to take evidence from other witnesses.

Komolafe apologised to the witnesses who were already in court that the inquest had to adjourn to enable the lawyers do their jobs.

He therefore directed Ojo to serve the application on the relevant parties to enable them file their responses.

He also disclosed that the church had submitted the name and address of the contractor who handled the collapsed building, Hardrock Construction and Engineering Company, to the inquest.