#PanamaPapers: TB Joshua denies owning company

Founder Synagogue Church of All Nation (SCOAN) Prophet Temitope Joshua Tuesday denied owning Shell Company in Panama, the British Virgin Islands.

TB Joshua

In an official statement released Tuesday, Joshua described as malicious, claims that he and his wife owned Chillon Consultancy Limited, one of the companies mentioned in the infamous #PanamaPapers.

Debunking the allegation first published by Premium Times, an online news site, Joshua warned against defamatory statements against his person or his church, insisting he was not a businessman.

“Whoever is involved in this malicious write-up and propaganda with an obvious intent to defame my person and the ministry, remember what the Bible says in Luke 2:34 – “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many… and to be a sign that will be spoken against.”

“I am not a businessman and have no business whatsoever. What God has given me is more than enough. I have nothing to do with the Panama Papers. As for me and my family, we shall remain in the vineyard of God.

“Premium Times – do not allow your company to be used. Do not allow your company to stand against God. This is a lie! Take note – this news was written by the same journalist who alleged that I bribed him during the building incident and went to different channels – both local and international – to propagate these fabrications.

“Since the building incident, there have been a series of threats towards the ministry and my person by this same journalist, Nicholas Ibekwe, who represents a gang of people.

“After everything that has been done in an attempt to destroy this ministry, this is what he has resorted to. Even the picture used in the write-up is taken from the Mexico Crusade I recently held. It was a crusade I went for, nothing more.

“Do not use the Panama Papers to attack those you have been looking for an opportunity to victimise. This is to show that not everybody alleged in the media to be involved in the Panama Papers is truly involved. My own case is a good example.

“Beware of those using the Panama Papers for fraudulent purposes! This is a very big mistake the fraudsters have made. Those who read this report – take time to do your findings. It is malicious.

“Note – people are misusing the data in the Panama Papers for fraud to attack innocent people.”

#PanamaPapers: TB Joshua denies owning company

Court indicts Joshua’s Synagogue church, says aircraft not cause of collapse

By Abdulwahab Abdulah & Bartholomew Madukwe

LAGOS — AFTER 10 months of sitting, the Lagos Coroner’s Inquest into the collapse of a six-storey building belonging to the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), yesterday, in Ikeja indicted the church for “criminal negligence” and recommended that it be prosecuted. 116 people died in the tragic incident.

The court said the Church did not get the necessary permit or approval before commencing  construction of the building.

The Lagos State Government inaugurated the Coroner’s Inquest under the state’s Coroner’s System Law No. 7 of 2007 to investigate the cause and circumstances leading to the death of 116 people, mostly South Africans,  following the building collapse of September 12, 2014, and bring its findings and recommendations to the appropriate authorities.

The Coroner’s Court, presided over by Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe, in its verdict, held that the “death of victims of the collapse was consistent with blunt force trauma that would normally be sustained from a collapsed building.”

Komolafe noted that most of the victims sustained various injuries ranging from haemorrhage, loss of limbs, crushed bones, multiple rib fractures, perforation of the lungs, destruction of left tibia vessels, strangulation, and chest wounds.

Aircraft not cause of building collapse

He said the alleged aircraft which SCOAN claimed hovered over the building minutes before it collapsed was not the cause of the collapse of the building.

Mr. Komolafe called out the names of the 116 victims and gave specific details on the causes of their deaths. He said 60 of them were males while there were 56 females, including a six-year-old child. He said six of the victims were yet to be identified. Eighty-five of the victims were South Africans, 22 Nigerians, two Beninoise and two Togolese nationals.

The Coroner’s Court also held that structural failure due to combination of designs and detailing errors were the cause of the building collapse.

It added that the state government should as a matter of urgency carry out detailed ‘fitness for habitation test’ on all the structures/buildings within the premises of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, situated at Segun Irefin Street, Bolorunpelu, Egbe, Lagos State.

DPO to be transferred

On the conduct of the Police at the scene of the accident and the testimony given by the Police at the Coroner’s Court, Magistrate Komolafe recommended that the DPO attached to Ikotun Division of the Nigeria Police, CSP Haruna Alaba, be replaced immediately because  he has become too compromised to lead a credible investigation. He said Mr. Alaba failed to take note of what was happening in his area and had to rely on information from the Police headquarters.

He equally charged the government to reduce the cost of obtaining necessary building permits/approvals as well as removing all administrative bottlenecks to encourage individuals/organizations go through the due process of obtaining necessary permits before commencement of building construction.

Komolafe said: “Alleged aircraft was not the cause of the building collapse. Building permits/approval was not obtained in respect of the collapsed building. The foundation failure was a remote cause of the collapsed building.”

The court said that the contractors Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela Fatiregun, both engineers) of HardRock Construction Co. Ltd., who handled the collapsed building project for SCOAN be investigated and tried for criminal negligence by the relevant authority.

Magistrate Komolafe pointed out that government agencies must be rid of corruption, including issuance of fake receipts and “greasing of palms” during inspections on construction sites.

The recommendations

The recommendations read in part: “Synagogue Church of All Nations be prosecuted by the relevant authorities for not possessing necessary building permits.

“Individuals/Organizations must endeavour to obtain relevant building permits before commencement of any building construction.

“Individuals/Organizations must engage the services of qualified and competent Engineers/Consultants in carrying out building constructions.

“Relevant authority should carry out detailed ‘fitness for habitation test’ on all the structures/buildings within the premises of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, situated at Segun Irefin Street, Egbe, Lagos State immediately.

“Government agencies responsible for ‘monitoring and inspection’ at every stage of construction should be alive to their responsibility and vigilant. Alternatively, the function of ‘monitoring and inspection’ be outsourced to competent professional body that will detect violation of building law and regulations early before any failure.

“Statutory/First Responders should be adequately equipped to perform their functions effectively and efficiently.

“The Government, NGO’s and other ancillary bodies should educate and sensitize the public on the need to always allow the statutory/first responders perform their duties during rescue operations/emergency cases and not take over the duties.

“Government should make it mandatory for professionals involved in the design and supervision of major structural building constructions to have professional indemnity.

“Government should take steps to secure and preserve the site of any collapsed building, so as not to compromise the conduct of investigation at the collapsed site.”

We’re not guilty –SCOAN

Reacting to the judgement, Mr Olalekan Ojo, counsel to the church and Pastor T. B. Joshua said no findings were made about the church by the coroner and that it never indicted the church for the collapsed building.

Ojo said: “Yes, the court said the church building collapsed due to structural failure but never said the church was guilty of any offence. So, with the situation I never doubt my client may challenge the verdict of the coroner.”

 

Court indicts Joshua’s Synagogue church, says aircraft not cause of collapse

T. B Joshua curses on Zimbabweans for lying against him

The pastor and the founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, TB Joshua, has cursed some Zimbabweans whom he claimed are spreading lies about him.

The controversial pastor said on Thursday that if the people did not desist from spreading ‘false rumours’ against him, they would be destroyed.

Zimbabwean media claimed that Joshua had predicted that three of their prominent preachers would die this year. The alleged prophecy was contained in a message delivered by TB Joshua in his church in early April.

The transcript of the message was published by state-owned Herald newspaper in Zimbabwe.

Joshua was quoted to have said, “I saw in a vision a flag, the Lord said that’s the flag of Zimbabwe. In the vision behold there were three trees, but of the three trees only one had roots, the other two were standing, but had no roots.

“The Lord said look again and when I looked the other tree had fallen, and another tree was about to fall. The Lord said take this message to Zimbabwe and tell them, I am cleaning up Prophets in their nation, and the work has already began.

“The three trees represent the three well known prophets in that nation, one who has already fallen and the other about to fall harder than the first.”

But speaking through his verified Facebook page, TB Joshua said he did not make such pronouncements because he was not given such a prophecy by God.

He said, “Good morning, people of Zimbabwe. Our attention has been drawn to false rumours spread by the father of lies which are currently being circulated around Zimbabwe. The reward of liars is destruction.

“We hereby curse, in the name of Jesus, whoever is spreading these rumours. Prophet T.B. Joshua can NEVER and he will NEVER give such a message because our God is not the God of confusion. We should be very careful not to touch an anointed man of God and lie against him.

“The Bible says in John 8:44 that satan is ‘the father of lies’. Don’t listen to the father of lies, the sons of lies and the daughters of lies. Do not sit somewhere, hear this or that and come to a hasty conclusion. God requires that we find out the truth from Him first and hold fast to that which is true, as the Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:21.”

T. B Joshua curses on Zimbabweans for lying against him

I told Jonathan his regime had come to an end – TB Joshua

Nigeria’s controversial preacher and healer, Prophet T.B. Joshua, said on Sunday that he told President Goodluck Jonathan weeks before the 28 March presidential election that his regime had come to an end.

“This message should be delivered to your president, that whatever the outcome of this election, his regime has come to an end. He should accept to save the lives of millions,” Joshua said he told Jonathan through a presidential aide.

Joshua claimed he called Jonathan by phone and the president promptly sent a close aide to meet with him.

“It’s not a message I could say in the church because it would affect your vote,” Joshua claimed he told the president.

After the presidential aide had worshipped at The SCOAN during a Sunday service, Joshua said he met him and relayed the revelation that Jonathan’s regime had come to an end.

“Soft landing – that is the language I sent to the president,” Joshua said he told the aide to tell the president.

Joshua praised Jonathan’s tenure in office, saying that he had served his nation well despite the immense security challenges.

“I really want to salute President Jonathan. The President has served; he has done his best. It was just the season of crisis – and unfortunately he found himself at the lead in the season of crisis.”

Joshua described Jonathan as a man who ‘has a heart for God’, and revealed that he spoke with the Nigerian president shortly before his historic concession call to General Buhari.

Joshua described Jonathan’s exit as ‘wonderful’, adding that it has cemented his legacy as a democratic champion.

“A man after God’s heart is a man with a wonderful exit. The beginner is not the owner but the finisher,” he told congregants.

He prayed that people from the ‘South-South’ region in Nigeria where President Jonathan hails from would understand that ‘their son has become a hero’.

I told Jonathan his regime had come to an end – TB Joshua

Synagogue: T.B. Joshua appeals against court judgement

Pastor Temitope Joshua and the Registered Trustees of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN),

have appealed against the judgement of a Lagos high court which declined to stop the on-going coroner inquest into the September 12, 2014 collapsed building in the church.

This was made known Thursday to the coroner, Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe at the resumed sitting of the coroner court in Ikeja through their counsel, Seun Abimbola.

Abimbola had been asked by the coroner court to pick a date that the founder of the SCOAN, Pastor Joshua would appear before the court to give testimony in the matter.

Rather than pick a date, Abimbola informed Chief Magistrate Komolafe that they have filed a Notice of Appeal at the Lagos division of the Court of Appeal, against the judgment of Justice Lateefa Okunnu of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja.

Justice Okunnu had declined an application filed by the trustee of SCOAN, alongside its founder.

They had prayed the court to stop the ongoing coroner’s inquest into the collapsed guest house belonging to the church.

Justice Okunnu had dismissed their application on the ground that it was premature and lacks merit.

Justice Okunnu explained that Sections 26 and 27 of the Coroner’s System Law of Lagos State 2007, empowered the coroner to summon any witness to assist him in his fact-finding mission, adding that there was nothing unusual in the summons extended to Prophet Joshua.

Justice Okunnu also declared that there was no evidence before the court to show that the coroner had been biased against the applicants.

She had therefore declined to hold that the coroner was biased.

Justice Okunnu also maintained that Chief Magistrate Komolafe as a coroner has the powers to take evidence from any witness he deemed fit and relevant to the matter on hand to enable him reach  his conclusions.

“I find therefore the present application lacks merit and has failed in its entirety. It is accordingly dismissed.”

Justice Okunnu had declared that although the coroner’s court cannot be sued, Chief Magistrate Komolafe himself could be sued in his capacity as a coroner.

The trial judge stated further that the court needed to resolve the issue as to whether the coroner has acted contrary to the rules of natural justice by not granting the applicants a fair hearing, and whether he has exceeded his jurisdiction as a coroner court.

SCOAN in its suit before Justice Okunnu, brought pursuant to Order 40 Rule 5 of the High Court of Lagos State (Civil Procedure Rules) 2012 and signed by one O.M Abimbola had prayed the High Court for, “An order of prohibition, against the Coroner’s Court of Lagos State and the presiding Magistrate Komolafe from exceeding their jurisdiction in the conduct of coroner’s inquest into the death of unknown persons in the collapsed building within the premises of SCOAN on September 12, 2014.

“An order of Certiorari to quash the proceedings of the 1st and 2nd respondents in the conduct of the coroner’s inquest into the death of unknown persons in the Synagogue Church of All Nations, Ikotun Egbe, Lagos on 12th September, 2014 in suit number CR/AL/01/2014 concerning matters, issues and circumstances other than what directly caused the death of the victims and the manner of their death for having been conducted without or in excess of the statutory jurisdiction of the 1st and 2nd respondents.

“A declaration that the decision of the coroner to summon the applicants to give evidence at a time when no materials were placed before the coroner against the applicants is a breach of the applicants’ right to fair hearing.

“A declaration that the coroner who relied on his personal knowledge of the facts of the case is not a proper person to preside at the inquest into the death of people at the collapsed building of Synagogue Church of All Nations.

“A declaration that the coroner who relied on extraneous matters not borne out of the records to reach his conclusion that the 2nd applicant is a necessary witness when in fact is not, is in breach of the rules of natural justice and fair hearing guaranteed by the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“An order prohibiting the coroner from conducting further inquest/proceedings relating to the construction of the collapsed building which facts are clearly outside the scope of a coroner’s inquest.

“An order quashing the proceedings of the coroner’s inquest in its entirety for being conducted in breach of the rule of natural justice, likelihood of bias, and for taking proceedings clearly outside the scope of the jurisdiction of the respondent.

“An order prohibiting the respondent from insisting on the personal attendance of the 2nd applicant as such will be without or in excess of jurisdiction, unconstitutional and unlawful.

“An order of injunction to restrain the respondents as presently constituted from further conducting any inquest into the collapsed building of Synagogue Church of All Nations, as the 2nd respondent has demonstrated personal interest in the subject matter and his neutrality clearly compromised.

“An order of injunction restraining coroner from taking and continuing to take evidence/proceedings on the issue of approval and construction of the collapsed building, which issues are clearly outside the scope of a coroner’s inquest.”

Meanwhile, at Thursday sitting, a Deputy Director in charge of planning and design from the Lagos State Ministry of Works, Engineer Tunde Lasoju confirmed that a physical assessment of the foundation of the collapsed guest house did not show any sign of stress.”The foundation of the collapsed guest house did not show any form of punching or sharing.”

But a witness from the Council for the Regulation of Engineers in Nigeria (COREN), Engineers Victor Oyenuga, maintained that the conclusion of the team that investigated the cause of the collapsed guest house shows that the building must have failed, as a result of undersizing of the foundation and weak columns.

Synagogue: T.B. Joshua appeals against court judgement

Joshua loses suit to stop Synagogue’s collapse probe

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A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Friday affirmed the witness summons issued on the Founder, Synagogue Church Of All Nations, Prophet T.B. Joshua, to appear before the coroner probing the cause of death of the 116 persons that died in the church’s collapsed building on September 12, 2014.

TB Joshua

The presiding judge, Justice Lateefa Okunnu, also held that the coroner, Magistrate O.A. Komolafe, had the power to inquire into the cause of the building collapse in his mandate to determine the direct cause and manner of the victims’ death.

The judge further held that the allegation of bias levelled against Komolafe by Joshua in the conduct of the inquest was unsubstantiated as the proof that Joshua adduced were mere conjectures which lacked any evidential weight.

“Having read the transcripts from the proceedings, I regret that I do not share the applicants’ point of view that the respondent has been biased or unfair and has breached the principle of natural justice,” Okunnu held.

The judge also struck out the coroner’s court as a respondent in the suit, on the grounds that it was not a juristic person that could be sued.

Following the collapse of the SCOAN’s six-storey guest house on September 12, last year, killing about 116 persons and injuring many, the Lagos State Government had set up the coroner’s inquest to determine the cause of death and the circumstances leading to the tragedy.

But weeks into the coroner’s inquest, which began on October 13, last year, Joshua had approached Okunnu asking for a judicial review of the coroner’s proceedings.

In the said application, the prophet asked Okunnu to determine whether the witness summons served on him to appear and testify before the coroner was not a breach of his right to fair hearing when no material fact had been placed against him before the coroner.

He also asked the judge to determine whether it was not beyond the power of the coroner to venture into the possible cause of the building collapse.

Joshua also alleged that the coroner had shown bias against him, arguing that the coroner compromised his neutrality and demonstrated personal interest at the point when he threatened to order Joshua’s arrest for failure to honour the witness summons.

Joshua’s lawyers, Chief Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) and Mr. Olalekan Ojo, also contended that the duty of the coroner did not go beyond ascertaining the reason for the victims’ death.

According to them, it was beyond the coroner to enquire into the possible reason why the building, wherein the victims perished, collapsed in terms of building approval and the quality of materials used in the construction.

They therefore urged the court to stop the coroner from further extending his inquisitions into areas beyond his statutory scope.

They further asked the court to pronounce as null and void all previous proceedings already conducted by the magistrate in excess of jurisdiction.

But Okunnu, on Friday, resolved all the issues raised in favour of the coroner.

The judge held that it was up to the coroner to determine what types of material evidence and witnesses that would be relevant to his findings, adding that he had unlimited power to summon anyone in the execution of his duty.

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Joshua loses suit to stop Synagogue’s collapse probe

Coroner’s inquest: Court fines T.B. Joshua N25,000

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A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has awarded a N25, 000 fine against the Founder, Synagogue Church Of All Nations, Prophet T.B. Joshua, for “deliberately stalling hearing” in a suit he filed against a Lagos coroner, Magistrate O.A. Komolafe.

TB Joshua

Komolafe is the coroner probing the September 12, 2014 building collapse in the premises of SCOAN in Ikotun, Lagos. No fewer than 116 persons, mostly South Africans, died in the incident.

Justice Lateefa Okunnu, while awarding the cost against Joshua on Tuesday, berated the prophet for “wasting the time of the court and tax payers’ money.”

The judge expressed displeasure that the matter, which was filed in December last year, had been bogged down in several adjournments at the instance of Joshua.

Okunnu’s order followed the announcement by Joshua’s lawyer, Chief Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), that his client had filed two fresh applications before the court in relation to the case.

“We filed two processes yesterday. One is a motion and the other one is the applicant’s consolidated reply on points of law,” Fagbemi told the judge.

Counsel for the Lagos State Government, Mr. Karmardeen Bakare, said he had just been served with the said processes on Tuesday morning in the court premises.

The state counsel said it would be impossible for him to go on with the case in the circumstance as he needed time to look at the fresh applications and reply appropriately.

He therefore urged the court for an adjournment.

Okunnu said it was clear that the day’s proceeding had been hampered by Joshua’s fresh applications.

The judge said the fine must be paid before the next adjourned date and that Joshua must file an affidavit of compliance as evidence.

The prophet had approached Okunnu, asking for a judicial review of the coroner’s inquest into the building collapse in his church.

The coroner’s inquest, which commenced on October 13, last year had the mandate to determine the cause of death of the victims.

But Joshua, in his application before Okunnu, asked the judge to determine whether the witness summons served on him to appear personally before the coroner was not a breach of his right to fair hearing.

He had also argued, through Fagbemi, that the coroner had been extending the inquest into areas outside his jurisdiction.

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Coroner’s inquest: Court fines T.B. Joshua N25,000

Synagogue tragedy: T.B Joshua takes victims’ families on shopping spree

The pastor of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, TB (Temitope Balogun) Joshua, took some of the relatives of the 85 South Africans killed in the church’s guesthouse that collapsed on September 12 on a shopping spree on Christmas day.

TB Joshua

Joshua was also reported to have showered the relatives with cash and gifts, a South African newspaper, Daily News reported.

One of the bereaved, 47-year-old Wonder Ndlovu, whose husband was killed in the building collapse, was among the first group to spend time with the pastor after the tragedy.

She was quoted by the newspaper as saying that she and others who visited Nigeria had a “nice time, went shopping and stayed in beautiful hotels.”

Ndlovu stated that before they went out shopping, they were taken to the building collapse site where the televangelist was said to have laid his hands on and prayed for the relatives.

“We met with the man of God (Joshua) and he briefed us about the site visit. Wiseman Harry and other evangelists took us there; it was very emotional for me, but others were strong and comforting. I brought flowers from South Africa and laid them with my son. It is ugly. Looking at the building foundations we are convinced it was an attack,” the widow said.

She added, “The prophet is full of surprises. After weeping, he took us to the city to see places. To our surprise, we shopped till we dropped and the bill was on him. We were having the time of our lives, forgetting the pain of the past and looking forward to picking up the pieces and moving on. Yesterday has gone by, but tomorrow is forever.

“He (Joshua) took us to a five-star posh hotel for dinner, fine food and drinks. The hotel is in Victoria Island. After chilling, we came back in his luxurious kombis. (There were) more surprises while (we were) preparing to sleep. The mamas who took us shopping knocked and presented us with N50, 000 each and they said we (must not) use all our (own) shopping money… I just sang A huna ya tshwana le yena (there’s no one like him).”

According to the South African newspaper, the popular televangelist invited 44 family members of the deceased for Christmas dinner and many of them accepted.

Speaking from Nigeria, Kirsten Nematandani, a spokesman for the church based in South Africa, confirmed toDaily News that a second group would visit this month.

Meanwhile, some of the KZN families who have received invitations to meet Joshua this month said they would gladly go.

Another South African, 29-year-old Simphiwe Ngcobo, said the trip to the Nigeria would help him connect “spiritually” with his parents, Dickie and Dennis Ngcobo. He said he was excited about the trip and would travel with a relative this month.

“It is important for us to go to the site and pay our respects to our loved ones. We have accepted their death and we are moving on. We could have gone with the first group of families but we decided to be with the family over Christmas. We have no qualms against anyone, which is why we have gladly accepted this wonderful gesture from the man of God,” he said.

Reverend Eric Myeni, whose 29-year-old son, Sabelo, died in the September 12 collapse, also accepted Joshua’s invitation.

“We need to overcome what has happened by showing our faith in Christ. We can never reverse our adversity. But with hope in the lord we can overcome the pain suffered,” he said.

When our correspondent contacted the church through one of the phone numbers provided on SCOAN website, to confirm the report of the relatives’ visit and the shopping spree paid for by Joshua, a lady who picked the phone said “yes.”

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Synagogue tragedy: T.B Joshua takes victims’ families on shopping spree

Synagogue: TB Joshua flies families of South African victims to Lagos

Nigerian preacher TB Joshua has invited to Lagos the bereaved families of the South African victims of a fatal church building collapse for a trip of “spiritual and emotional support”, a spokesman said Tuesday.

TB Joshua

A guesthouse for foreign followers of the pastor and televangelist Temitope Balogun Joshua, commonly known as TB Joshua, collapsed on September 12 killing 116 people — including 81 South Africans.

Remains of 74 of the South African victims were repatriated home two months later and 11 more remained behind awaiting DNA identification.

“The healing process is continuous but it was very important that the families be part of the year-end candlelight service — it’s spiritual and emotional support,” the church’s spokesman in South Africa Kirsten Nematandani told AFP.

He said TB Joshua, who “has continuously supported the families”, will interact with them throughout the trip. “This is about the spirit of caring.”

Forty-four of the 74 families have taken up the offer for the all-expenses-paid, week-long trip starting on Christmas Day.

The rest are unable to travel because of lack of travel documents or prior commitments, said Nematandani.

Families of the 11 outstanding victims will be invited after the remains are sent back to South Africa, he said.

Some South Africans took to social media, suggesting that the trip was a bribe for the families not to launch any legal action against Joshua.

“This is a preemptive strike against any possible lawsuit,” tweeted @Nothibi-Phosa.

But Nematandani dismissed such claims saying the relatives were going to the church to “pray” and not to talk about litigation.

oshua, a self-proclaimed prophet, has said the collapse in September may have been sabotage and has on three occasions ignored summonses to testify before an ongoing coroner’s inquest into the incident.

His lawyers are attempting to stop the investigation, arguing the coroner has exceeded his powers to call Joshua as a witness.

Nematandani said TB Joshua “has never been above the law, he respects the law”.

The preacher’s followers include influential politicians and business people from around Africa and the world, and his loyalists have suggested the collapse is part of a conspiracy to undermine him.

 

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Synagogue: TB Joshua flies families of South African victims to Lagos

Synagogue: Weapon investigator says collapsed building attacked

A 37-year-old weapon researcher and graduate of Chemistry from the University of Maiduguri, Mr. Biedomo Iguniewei, has said that the collapsed six-storey building within the premises of the Synagogue Church for All Nations could have been felled with a high energy infrasonic radiation.

TB Joshua

Iguniewei on Monday told the coroner probing the circumstances surrounding the September 12 tragedy that he was in a position to reach such a conclusion based on his work experience with the Defence Industry Corporation of Nigeria, where he said he had worked for six years.

He said the aircraft that reportedly hovered above the church shortly before the building came down could have fired infrasonic radiation weapons at the building.

The witness described himself as an independent consultant with specific interest in explosives and weapon research and that he is currently a post-graduate student of Explosives and Material Science at the Nigerian Defence Academy.

No fewer than 116 persons, mostly South Africans on pilgrimage to SCOAN, reportedly died in the incident.

The witness said that due to his background and research experience in explosives and military weapons, he took personal interest in the collapsed building and had consequently visited the site of the collapsed structure all the way from Kaduna with a view to carrying out a research and publishing a paper.

“I was worried when I heard them talking of controlled demolition. And from the video that I watched, I started asking myself: What could have led to the building crumbling in near vertical fall?” Iguniewei said.

Iguniewei said that after eliminating all the other possible options, he came to the conclusion that the building could possibly have been fired upon with infrasonic radiations.

According to Iguniewei, an infrasound is a type of sound measuring below 20Hz, which is below what the normal human ear could detect.

He said, “The striking thing about infrasound is that you cannot hear it and you cannot see it but it causes remarkable vibrations when used as a weapon.

“Those of us who work with the security know that weapons are produced and they are always looking for where to test them.

“I am of the opinion that what happened that day, especially with the strange plane-like objects seen in the video, was that an infrasonic radiation was fired upon the building; and if you observe, you will discover that it took about 30 minutes for the building to come down.”

He added, “It is important for this court to be aware of this option but why it could have been used here is another matter entirely.

“But since I have been pondering on why a building would collapse the way this one did, this is the most plausible explanation for me.”

The witness said it had become important to consider the option of infrasonic radiation, especially with the repeated movement of the aircraft, which was said to have repeatedly passed over the collapsed building.

“That plane-like object flew close to the building, and that is all that is needed for the infrasonic radiation to reach the building. As far as I am concerned, the repeated overpass of the plane-like object is to ensure that the building received enough dose of the radiation sufficient to bring it down.

“Engineers generally believe that a structure would fail due to bad foundation and bad materials but if you go there now the foundation pillars are still very intact. My position is that the building weakened from the top,” Iguniewei insisted.

When asked what would be seen as the evidence in the aftermath of an infrasonic attack on a building, the witness said there would be no material evidence because the radiation neither generated heat nor resulted in burning or charring.

He said, “The bomb expert who is looking for chemical residue will not see anything like a by-product and of course there is no charring because all that the radiation does is to cause a vibration of the atoms from their position resulting in the emission of electrons.”

Meanwhile the suit filed by the founder of SCOAN, Prophet T.B. Joshua, to challenge his invitation to testify at the inquest was stalled on Monday.

The suit could not be heard as the defence counsel told the court that he had only just been served on Monday morning with a further affidavit filed by SCOAN.

Justice Lateefa Okunnu consequently adjourned till January 12, 2015.

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Synagogue: Weapon investigator says collapsed building attacked

Synagogue: Court hears Joshua’s suit against coroner December 22

A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has slated December 22, 2014 to hear the application for a  judicial review of the coroner’s inquest into the September 12 Synagogue building collapse.

TB Joshua

Justice Lateefat Okunnu, on Friday, announced the adjournment to allow the parties to regularise the positions.

The applicants are the Founder of the Synagogue Church Of All Nations, Prophet T.B. Joshua, and the Registered Trustees of the church.

They had asked Justice Okunnu to determine whether the witness summons served on Joshua to appear before the coroner to give testimony was not a violation of his right.

They further contested that the coroner, Magistrate O.A. Komafe, had been extending his inquisitions into areas beyond his statutory power.

About 116 persons reportedly died in the collapsed six-storey guest house belonging to the SCOAN.

Komolafe had, on Wednesday, dismissed an application seeking a temporary suspension of the coroner’s inquest.

Meanwhile, at the resumed sitting of the coroner on Friday, a witness of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, Engr. Theophilus,  continued with his testimony.

Theophilus told the coroner that the results of the tests conducted by the SON on the debris collected from the site of the collapsed building could not be entirely relied upon in determining the cause of the building collapse.

Theophilus, a civil engineer, made the submission while being cross-examined by the counsel for SCOAN, Mr. Olalekan Ojo.

“The result of the laboratory tests cannot be entirely relied on to ascertain the cause of the building collapse because the strength of the sample debris collected from the site and taken to the laboratory for test had reduced as a result of the collapse.

“The debris could not produce satisfactory result,” Theophilus said.

Further hearing in the inquest was adjourned till December 15, 2014.

Reporters from Television Continental and Channels Television will give testimonies before the coroner.

They are expected to show to the coroner the video clips of events as captured during the rescue operation.

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Synagogue: Court hears Joshua’s suit against coroner December 22

SYNAGOGUE: Coroner dismisses Joshua’s prohibition application

By Abdulwahab Abdulah, Bartholomew Madukwe & Ebele Okafor

LAGOS—The presiding judge of a Lagos State Coroner’s Court sitting in Ikeja, Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe, yesterday, dismissed the prohibition application moved by the Registered Trustees of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, SCAON, alongside its founder, Prophet Temitope Joshua, asking it to stay proceedings pending determination of a substantive motion of judicial review before Justice Lateefa Okunnu of the state’s high court.

Dismissing prohibition application

TB Joshua

Dismissing the prohibition application, Magistrate Komolafe ruled that the proceeding before the Coroner’s court is a judicial inquiry into the cause of the collapsed guest house belonging to SCOAN which claimed the lives of 116 persons.

While stating that there is no party before the court, the judge declared that all the authorities cited by counsel while adopting their written addresses has nothing to do with coroner proceedings.

“This court cannot adjudicate on this motion on notice as doing so would amount to operating outside the scope of a coroner’s court,” Magistrate Komolafe held.

Describing the application as an abuse of court process, the Coroner declared that there is no automatic appeal against the findings and conclusions of a coroner’s court.

The coroner judge also held that Justice Okunnu who is currently adjudicating on the motion ex-perte brought by the applicants has not issued a restraining order against further proceedings of the inquest, saying “this application is incompetent and lacking in merit. Same is hereby dismissed accordingly.”

Further proceeding on the matter has been adjourned till December 12, 2014.

Joshua through his lawyer, Mr Olalekan Ojo, had filed a substantive application before Justice Lateefa Okunnu of Lagos State High Court, challenging the invitation of Prophet T.B. Joshua by the coroner court.

“This court (Coroner) being a lower court to the High Court cannot speculate on the outcome of a higher court. The best legal position is to adjourn this cause of proceeding till outcome of the application before Justice Okunnu. Where a higher court has taken position courts in the lower hierarchy must bow. If the High Court does not agree with us, then we resume at the coroner.

Court’s jurisdiction

“The jurisdiction of this court to enquire into certain areas have been challenged before a higher court. The concept of jurisdiction is multi-faceted in nature, just like in the case of Doyin Okupe vs. Federal Board of Inland Revenue, FBIR. Asking questions on how engineering defects brought collapse to the building are outside the jurisdiction of the coroner’s court. A person acting within a jurisdiction can exceed its jurisdiction unconsciously when asking questions outside its jurisdiction,” Ojo said.

According to him, on November 17, 2014, the High Court of Lagos State sitting at the Ikeja Judicial Division presided over by Justice Okunnu granted leave to the applicants in suit No. ID/188/MJR/2014 to apply for a judicial review of the proceedings in the Suit No. CR/AL/101/2014 which is still pending.

Judicial review before High Court

Ojo told the coroner court that in the judicial review before the High Court, the applicants (Prophet T.B. Joshua and Synagogue church) are praying the High Court to determine whether the statutory jurisdiction of the Coroner’s Court under the Coroner’s System Law 2007 particularly sections 15 and 40 of the Coroner’s Law is limited to conducting inquest into the cause and manner of death and does not extend to inquiry into matters that are not directly causative of the death or deaths being inquired into.

Other prayers are: “Whether or not the Honourable Court acted within its powers in issuing witness summons on the 2nd applicant (Prophet T.B. Joshua) at the time when the Coroner had not commenced sitting or taking evidence.

“Whether or not the respondents to the application for judicial review ought to be prohibited from continuing with the conduct of the inquest into the tragic death of unknown persons in the collapsed building at the Synagogue Church of All Nations on September 12, 2014 on grounds of bias or likelihood of bias on the part of the Honourable Court.”

Replying on point of law, a senior State Counsel, Mr Akingbolahan Adeniran, argued that in line with Section 40 of the Coroner’s System Law 2007, the major interest is on how a death occurred and there is no definition in Coroner Law that restraints the how.

“This is not the forum to argue an application before Justice Okunnu. The sole issue for determination in this application is whether the applicants has placed sufficient evidence in its favour. There is currently no order by Justice Okunnu for stay of proceeding, which she would have done if she needed to do so. The ground for stay of proceeding is not automatic. It is because the applicants filed an application that there should be a stay of proceeding,”  Adeniran argued.

The State Counsel noted that till date the applicants have not presented any witness before the court and the request for the name of the contractor took almost three months of the collapsed building. He urged the court to dismiss the application because the applicants have not presented sufficient material before the coroner court for it to decide in the applicants favour.

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SYNAGOGUE: Coroner dismisses Joshua’s prohibition application

Nigeria did not exchange Synagogue bodies for arms – Presidency

Nigeria has denied a report by a South African newspaper that the two countries agreed on a deal to exchange the bodies of South African worshippers who died in a Church building collapse in Lagos, for arms.

President Jonathan and President Zuma

At least 80 South Africans died when a guest house owned by Synagogue Church collapsed in September, just about the same time South Africa seized a Nigerian airplane with $9.7 million cash meant for arms purchase for the Nigerian military.

Another tranche of N5.3 million was also seized later.

The South African government said the transactions breached its laws and that the money would be forfeited to the state.

The controversy about the cash money came as South Africa faced delays in repatriating the bodies of victims of the Synagogue church crash.

The report by South Africa-based Mail and Guardian said the two countries agreed to exchange favours by completing the botched arms deal and the repatriation of the bodies.

The South African government has denied the report.

But the newspaper cited official correspondences and interviews with top government officials to back its story, which it said remains true.

A senior aide to President Goodluck Jonathan, Reuben Abati, told PREMIUM TIMES on Friday that the two countries had no such negotiations, and said the report was “completely absurd”.

“There is absolutely no connection between the repatriation of the body and the arms money. They are completely two issues,” Mr. Abati said.

He said any claim that there was such as understanding would be a “disservice to the memory of the dead”.

Mail and Guardian report cited two letters written by the South African special envoy in-charge of facilitating the repatriation of the bodies of the victims, Jeff Radebe, to Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations and South African National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) trying to legitimise the arms deals despite two court orders freezing the money.

“Although the required administrative processes were not adhered to at the time, the government of South Africa deems it a bona fide error,” Mr Radebe wrote, generating suggestions that while in Nigeria, Mr. Radebe might have reached a deal with the Nigeria government to sort out the hitches.

Mr. Abati said such a suggestion was “preposterous.” He said there was no politics involved in the return of the bodies to South Africa.

“It would be a disservice to the memory of the dead to play politics with such an issue. It would be preposterous for anybody to suggest that the Nigerian government would be asking for a deal to repatriate the bodies,” he said.

The presidential aide said both governments were committed to repatriating the bodies so that the families of the victims can reach a closure on the issue. He added it was simply about human lives and respect for the victims as well as their family and nothing more.

Mr. Abati said the delay experienced in the repatriation of the bodies was as a result of the process of forensic identification of the bodies and experts from both countries worked together to make it a success.

When asked if Mr. Radebe could have felt indebted by the help he received from the Nigerian government and wanted to show appreciation by helping release the seized money, Mr. Abati replied that there was no question of indebtedness as the concern of both countries was to bring a closure on the issue.

“Nobody said anything about indebtedness,” he said. “The Nigerian government also felt the urgent need for the bodies to be repatriated. You know as African our culture demands that we bury our dead properly. It is a cultural thing so that family can reach a closure on what happened.”

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Nigeria did not exchange Synagogue bodies for arms – Presidency

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

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.

TB Joshua

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.

 

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

Synagogue: Joshua challenges coroner’s summons

By Abdulwahab. Abdulah & Bartholomew Madukwe with agency report

LAGOS—Lawyers to the Nigerian preacher, TB Joshua said yesterday they had mounted a legal challenge against the Lagos Coroner’s court who has ordered him to testify about a fatal building collapse at his Lagos mega church in Ikotun area of the state.

TB Joshua

Joshua has been summonsed twice to give evidence at the inquest examining the circumstances of the September 12 tragedy in which 116 people were killed, but failed to appear on both occasions.

The latest no show by the popular televangelist yesterday seemed to have angered coroner Oyetade Komolafe, who said he would order his arrest.

But the pastor’s lawyer, Olalekan Ojo, told reporters after the hearing: “We have gone to the high court to challenge the jurisdiction of the coroner to issue a witness summons.

“The coroner has unconsciously exceeded his jurisdiction in that he has started inquiring into matters that are not causative of deaths.”

Komolafe was furious that Joshua, known to his followers as “The Prophet” or “The Man of God”, was not present for the start of proceedings on Thursday after failing to appear on November 5.

On that occasion, Ojo said Joshua had been “unavoidably absent,” and failed to receive the summons. “We don’t want the impression to be created that The Prophet is avoiding the court,” he said.

Yesterday, Komolafe said: “Any of the witnesses who is not in court today will be arrested. I think the court has been lenient enough.”

Joshua, who counts presidents and powerful politicians from across Africa among his flock, has claimed the collapse was caused by a mysterious aircraft seen “hovering” over the building at the time.

Ojo confirmed that his client had received the latest summons and added that his appearance was conditional on the outcome of the high court challenge.

“The Prophet has respect for the law of the land and will not do anything that will hurt the law,” he said.

“If at the end of the day, it is appropriate for The Prophet to appear he will be in court. We do not intend to abuse the legal process.

“Besides, The Prophet has a milk of human kindness. He is still grieving over the horrendous loss of lives. Coming to court is not proper. It is not a good way of showing respect for the dead.”

Technical hitch stops proceedings

Proceedings into the on-going coroner inquest into the September 12 Synagogue building collapse was yesterday stalled by faulty electronic  recorder, which eventually forced the sitting to be adjourned till today .

At the resumed hearing of the investigation before the coroner yesterday, Magistrate O.A. Komolafe, the Standard Organization of Nigeria, SON, represented by Mr. Bede Obayi, Head, Inspectorate and Compliant Department of the SON told the coroner about their investigation of the materials collected from the rubbles of the collapsed building.

Expectedly, the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, the Lagos State Ministry of Works, Synagogue Church Of All Nations, the contractor that built the failed structure and its founder, Prophet T.B. Joshua are to testify yesterday.

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Synagogue: Joshua challenges coroner’s summons

TB Joshua Building Collapse: Lagos okays repatriation of 54 S’African corpses

The Lagos State Government on Wednesday gave clearance for the repatriation of 54 corpses of South Africans who were among the 116 victims that died in the Synagogue Church of All Nations building collapse on September 12, 2014.

TB Joshua

Governor Babatunde Fashola gave the approval during a meeting with delegates of the South African government following complaints that the bodies were being held for too long.

Fashola said his government had no reason to delay the handing over of the bodies in line with the South African culture and traditions.

He said, “We regret that this happened. Unfortunately, I also managed such an issue during the Dana plane crash and I understand the anxiety of families who want closure and the religious undertone as well. Our responsibility is to ensure that families get closure. And those cultures exist here. I know that this is an issue that has attracted global attention.

“We cannot at this time get the process wrong because if we release a body, we want to ensure that each family takes the body of their relative. It will be unpardonable for us to make mistakes.

“And the choice of South Africa for the test was a special decision to make the process easier for South Africans who bore the bigger brunt of the tragedy. So, since the relatives were in South Africa, it was easier to use a laboratory in the country, where we could easily take samples from the deceased’s families for the test. It was meant to further demonstrate what our intentions were.

“We have no reason to deny you the right to take those 54 bodies, you have my word, you can take them whenever you are ready to do so. It is left for you to decide whether to take them in batches or wait until we conclude the exercise. But if you are ready, my team will ensure that you take them without any delay.”

Fashola noted that the coroner’s inquest was ongoing, to investigate the disaster. He, however, emphasised that the inquest was not meant to prosecute anyone.

No fewer than 116 people died when the guest house of the church collapsed on September 12, 2014. Among them were 81 South Africans, three Zimbabweans and one from Democratic Republic of Congo.

On the status of the bodies, Chief Medical Examiner of the state, Prof. John Obafunwa, noted that 116 bodies were recovered and had been subjected to a post-mortem examination such as finger printing, photography, collection of samples and so on.

He said out of the 116, they had been able to identify 70 through DNA laboratory tests in South Africa. Out of the 70, 54 of them are South Africans, the rests, from their names, are Nigerians, Beninoise, Togolese and so on.

He said, “We had to collect additional DNA samples to assist the laboratory. We’ve been working together and talking to the lab. It is expected that more results will come in while more than 70 have been identified.”

The leader of the South African delegation to Nigeria, Mr. Jeff Radebe, had earlier said that South-African culture and traditions demanded burial within a week of bereavement.

He said, “But today makes it two months since the incident, so I paid a condolence visit to President Goodluck Jonathan two days ago, to convey the message of our President and find ways of speeding up the processes and reparations of the mortal remains of those 85 including those four who carry South African passports even though they are not nationals of our country.”

Radebe noted that arrangements had been made to include the four, and take them to Pretoria, from where three would taken to Harare and one to Kinsasa.

He said, “The whole nation of South Africa is in mourning, especially the families that have had to endure these two months of waiting in order to bring closure to this whole incident.

“We appreciate your government for the cooperation and our team have been briefing us on the challenges of identifying the bodies. But the bereavement was very tragic indeed and we have to get the bodies back to South Africa.”

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TB Joshua Building Collapse: Lagos okays repatriation of 54 S’African corpses

TB Joshua’s followers attacked, blocked rescuers at collapsed building – Inquest

Lagos – Followers of one of Nigeria’s most popular preachers attacked emergency service workers, preventing them from accessing the site of a deadly building collapse, an inquest was told on Wednesday.

Prophet T. B Joshua

“The first three days (after the collapse) were marred by the so-called church sympathisers and the crowd,” said the head of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Femi Oke-Osanyintolu.

“By the time we attained momentum after 96 hours a lot of things had gone bad.”

A total of 116 people, 84 of them South Africans, were killed when a guesthouse for foreign followers of TB Joshua’s Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) collapsed in Lagos on September 12.

Joshua, known to his congregation as “The Prophet” and “The Man of God”, was scheduled to give evidence at the coroner’s inquest into the tragedy.

But the self-styled miracle worker, who claims that he can see the future, was not in court, despite the coroner having warned that he faced arrest if he did not appear.

Osanyintolu told the hearing that it was only after the intervention of the Lagos State governor that rescue workers could get to the stricken building on the sprawling SCOAN compound.

The LASEMA general manager said there was “no effective crowd control” in the aftermath of the collapse, which engineers have blamed on the addition of extra floors to the guesthouse.

“The crowd impeded our operation. They did not allow our personnel and equipment to come in. They frustrated the emergency workers at the scene,” he added.

Instead of allowing trained rescue workers with specialist equipment to search for survivors, only church members and volunteers were allowed to pick through the rubble, he said.

“There were restrictions of emergency responders to the scene of the collapse. On the first day, we were assaulted, especially my humble self,” he continued.

“We were not allowed to do documentation. Photographs of the incident were not allowed.

“We asked for the manifest to know the number and identities of the people in the building, we were not given. We asked for the building plan, we were not given.”

Expert witnesses at the hearing have previously ruled out sabotage from a low-flying aircraft or an explosion, as suggested by Joshua and SCOAN members.

Osanyintolu, a medical doctor, also rejected the theory: “On observation, bodies were not mutilated. They were not disjointed… the bodies were not burned.”

The court has heard that the guesthouse did not have planning permission and that other structures on the site, including the church’s main auditorium, were structurally defective.

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TB Joshua’s followers attacked, blocked rescuers at collapsed building – Inquest

Collapse building: TB Joshua shuns coroner"s inquest

Prophet TB Joshua has again failed to appear at the coroner’s inquest today to explain how 116 people died in a building collapse at his Lagos church, Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN)

TB Joshua

TB Joshua had been summoned to give evidence at the hearing into the September 12 tragedy at his church, which left 84 South Africans among the dead.

Coroner Oyetade Komolafe said last week that Joshua, would be arrested if he failed to show but Joshua worker did not appear on Wednesday to be questioned over his claims that sabotage from a low-flying aircraft and a terror attack may have caused the tragedy.

“The Man of God has not been personally served the witness summons,” his lawyer, Olalekan Ojo told the court when asked about his client’s whereabouts.

“He was unavoidably absent when the sheriff went for the service. We don’t want the impression to be created that The Prophet is avoiding the court.”

Expert witnesses at the hearing have previously ruled out the theory of aerial sabotage or an explosion and the court has been told that the guesthouse did not have any planning permission.

Inspections indicated that other structures on the site, including the church’s main auditorium which Joshua claims was designed by the Holy Spirit, were structurally defective.

Ojo refused to accept the witness summons on behalf of Joshua, saying he was not authorised to do so, but promised to tell the court when his client would be available.

Similarly, the building contractors did not receive their summonses because they could not be identified or located, he added.

Komolafe said: “We want Prophet Joshua to know that the court is not persecuting anybody but (trying) to find the truth. He should come.

“As a prophet of God that he claims to be, he must not do anything that will make him to be at variance with the law.”

 

 

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Collapse building: TB Joshua shuns coroner"s inquest

Court refuses to stop coroner’s investigation into TB Joshua bulding collapse

By Innocent Anaba

LAGOS—A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, yesterday, declined to stop the ongoing coroner’s inquest into the Synagogue building collapse, until it hears the case on its merit.

T.B Joshua church refuses to allow us rescue trapped victims – NEMA

Trial judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba, in a ruling on an oral application by an applicant, Mr Olukoya Ogungbeje, seeking to stop further sittings of the Coroner’s court, pending the outcome of the suit said, “Although, the applicant wants an order of interim injunction restraining T.B Joshua from appearing before the coroner, I must say that he is not a party to the suit, neither is he held in detention.

“The respondents were served with the court processes on Friday, and by the rules, they have five days to respond, but time was abridged and they accepted, and so, let us not loose sight of the issue here.

“If applicant was the party summoned before the coroner, then the issue of a restraining order will arise, but in this situation, how can I restrain the whole world.

“The applicant has not shown that he will suffer any danger if the restraining order is not granted, and so, I will hear this case on its merit on Thursday, Nov. 6, and I will not grant any restraining orders; this is the ruling of this court,” he said

It will be recalled that on September 12, a six-storey building within the premises of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, collapsed in Lagos.

The incident led to the death of 116 people most of whom were foreigners.

The Lagos State Government on September 26, constituted a Coroner’s Court to unravel the circumstances leading to the incidence.

Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe was appointed Coroner.

Ogungbeje, a Lagos based lawyer in the suit is seeking an order, restraining further proceedings in the suit, pending the determination of a substantive suit at the Federal High Court.

Defendants in the suit are the Lagos State Government, the Attorney General of the State, Mr Ade Ipaye, and Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe.

At the hearing in the matter, yesterday, counsel to the respondents, informed the court that he had been served with the processes filed by the applicant.

He, however, prayed the court for a short time to regularise his responses.

Reacting, counsel to the applicant,  said although he was not opposed to the adjournment, it was important for the court to issue an order, restraining the Coroner from further inquest.

He informed the court that the General Overseer of the Church, Prophet T.B Joshua, had already been summoned to appear before the Coroner on Novvember 5, adding that it was important to stop them.

According to counsel, “the draconian speed at which the coroner’s court is sitting, simply means that after it summons Prophet T.B Joshua, it would make its findings and submit its report, then this entire suit will be a waste.

“It is therefore, important for my lord to restrain them from further inquest in the suit.”

After listening to the argument of counsel, Justice Buba held that an order of interim injunction was not necessary in the situation, since the applicant was not personally affected by the inquest.

The applicant in his suit, averred that the composition of the Coroner’s Court, was a negation of the principle of natural justice and Section 36 of the Constitution, and as such, was unconstitutional and void.

He averred that the inquest was constituted by the Lagos State Government after the agencies of the state government had indicted the Church of erecting additional structures on an already existing building without approval.

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Court refuses to stop coroner’s investigation into TB Joshua bulding collapse

TB Joshua gets arrest warning over Lagos church building collapse evidence

Lagos – A coroner on Wednesday threatened popular Nigerian preacher TB Joshua with arrest if he failed to testify at an inquest into the deaths of 116 people at his church.

| credits: Nairaland

Oyetade Komolafe rejected arguments from Joshua’s lawyers that the televangelist should not be summoned because he did not directly witness the September 12 tragedy.

A total of 84 South Africans were among the dead when a guesthouse for foreign followers at Joshua’s Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) collapsed in Lagos.

Joshua, known to members of his church as “The Prophet” or “The Man of God”, has indicated that sabotage was to blame and linked the collapse to a low-flying aircraft seen in the area at the time.

“The court has the power to summon whoever it deems necessary to assist it,” Komlafe told the hearing in the city.

“The counsel should advise The Prophet to come. The church is not on trial. It’s not a matter of ego. Nobody is above the law. The court will be fair to all.

“If he is an institution with immunity, the court will not even go there. If the man refuses to come, he can be arrested… He has to appear. We summoned The Prophet. We summoned the contractors.”

Joshua, a self-styled miracle worker who claims he can see the future, counts powerful business figures, politicians and African presidents among his flock.

He is one of Nigeria’s five richest pastors, with an estimated net worth from SCOAN and his emmanuel.tv network of between $10 million and $15 million, according to Forbes magazine in 2011.

He is due to give evidence on November 5.

A pathologist and emergency service workers disagreed with Joshua’s theory of a possible explosion, citing crush injuries to the victims and the absence of blast wounds or fire at the site.

Building inspectors have previously said the addition of extra floors to the guesthouse, without strengthening the foundations, was the likely cause of the collapse.

The inquest was adjourned until Thursday.

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TB Joshua gets arrest warning over Lagos church building collapse evidence