Synagogue: Court adjourns hearing in criminal trial

A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja on
Tuesday fixed January 27, 2016 for arguments in
a criminal charge filed by the Lagos State
Government against the Registered Trustees of
Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) and
two engineers over the September 12, 2014
collapsed building in which 116 people were
killed.
Trial judge, Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo adjourned
the matter for hearing of the applications filed by
the engineers – Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela
Fatiregun, who are the 4th and 5th defendants
respectively in the matter, challenging the validity
of the mode of service of the court processes on
them.
Ogundeji and Fatiregun, the contractors in charge
of the collapsed building, were charged alongside
the Registered Trustees of SCOAN, Hardrock
Construction Company, and Jadny Trust Ltd for
the offence of failing to obtain necessary building
approvals and for murder of the 116 persons that
died when the building built in the premises of
Synagogue Church collapsed.
Specifically, the 111 criminal counts charge filed
against the defendants bordered on their alleged
failure to obtain approval for the collapsed
building contrary to Section 41 of the Urban and
Regional Planning Laws of Lagos State, and
involuntary manslaughter contrary to Section 222
of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of
Lagos State.
At the resumed hearing, the Lagos State
Prosecution team led by the Director of Public
Prosecution, Mrs Idowu Alakija informed the court
that the state had complied with the order of the
court to serve the processes in the matter on the
engineers by substituted means to their last
known addresses.
Alakija said: “We have been able to serve the 4th
and 5th defendants and there is proof of service
to that effect in the court file.”
She, thereafter, presented the proof of service of
the court processes before the court, but the
engineers did not appear in court.
They both filled applications through their counsel
challenging the jurisdiction of the court on the
ground that substituted service was not known to
the applicable laws in respect of the matter.
They also argued that there is a pending order of
the Federal High Court in Lagos restraining the
State Government from prosecuting them.
Meanwhile, the court has adjourned for hearing of
the applications, after which the hearing of the
main criminal charge would commence.



BOLA AKINGBADE
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, PRESS AND PUBLIC
RELATIONS
LAGOS STATE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
JANUARY 19, 2016