A High Court in Lagos presided by Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo has ordered immediate arraignment of trustees of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) alongside two engineers and their company that was found blameworthy in the September 12th, 2014 building collapse that killed 116 persons within the premises of the church on the outskirts of Lagos.
The judge dismissed all preliminary applications submitted by Prophet T.B. Joshua through his bevy of high powered attorneys to scuttle any prosecution after claiming the fatal building collapse was due to a “strange craft hovering” over the building. The controversial pastor has repeated the same excuse throughout the inquest by a coroner on the fatal incidence at his church.
The Coroner, Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe had however established that contrary to claims by the Synagogue Church, the fatal collapse happened because the church illegally added floors in the building without approval of the plan by the authorities. The Coroner thus recommended immediate prosecution of Synagogue Church’s trustees and engineers.
Throughout the inquest, Prophet Joshua avoided the court while working hard to scuttle prosecution using various courts in Lagos.
After dismissing the preliminary applications by Synagogue Church today, Justice Lawal-Akapo also ordered that the accused Trustees of the Church alongside the engineers be arraigned immediately.
Although counsels to the defendants presented various excuses scuttle the arraignment they were however overruled.
Charges are being read to the defendants as at the time of filing this report.
