Igbosere High Court Strikes Out Synagogue’s ‘No-Case’ Submission
An Igbosere High Court in Lagos has stroke out the No Case submission filed by the Registered Trustees of the Synagogue Church of All Nations and the two engineers involved in the collapse of a six-storey building belonging to the church
News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the Lagos State Government had sued the church for the death of about 116 persons as a result of the collapse of the church building on September 12, 2014.
The Church and the engineers handling the case– Ms Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela Fatiregun – were charged alongside their companies — Hardrock Construction and Engineering Company and Jandy Trust Ltd. have been charged with 110 count of involuntary manslaughter and were arraigned before the court on April 19, 2016, but they pleaded ‘not guilty.’
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The Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions stated that the defendants violated Section 75 of the Urban and Regional Planning Law of Lagos State 2010 as well as Section 222 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.
The defence insisted said there was nothing in the evidence by the prosecution to warrant their client to proceed into any defence.
They, therefore, urged the court to discharge the defendants.
At the resumed hearing on Thursday, Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo dismissed the no-case submission filed by the defendants.
He adjourned the case until April 27 for the defence to open its case.
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