Building collapse: Synagogue engineers remanded in Kirikiri

Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela Fatiregun – the two engineers – who constructed the collapsed seven-storey guest house of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), were remanded at Kirikiri Maximum Prisons in Lagos on Tuesday.

Lateef Lawal-Akapo, a judge of an Ikeja high court, who gave the ruling, said the men should be kept behind bars until the charges would be determined.

“The defendants are remanded in Kirikiri Maximum Prisons pending the determination of the charge,” he ordered.

The engineers had pleaded not guilty to a 111-count charge bordering on gross negligence and criminal manslaughter.

The prosecution led by Idowu Alakija, director, Lagos state directorate of public prosecutions (DPP), said the defendants committed the offences between August 20 and September 2013.

According to her, the defendants constructed a seven-storey building at the church in Ikotun-Egbe in Ikotun area of Lagos with disregard for human lives.

One-hundred-and-sixteen persons, 85 of whom were South Africans, died in the incident.

On July 8, 2015, the coroner’s inquest instituted by the Lagos state government, had said the collapse was caused by structural failure due to a combination of designs and detailing errors.

The inquest ordered that Synagogue church be investigated and prosecuted by the relevant authorities for not possessing necessary building permits, while the two engineers should be tried for criminal negligence.

The arraignment of the defendants by the Lagos state government had been continuously stalled by the defence through several adjournments and filing of various applications before the court.

Earlier at Tuesday’s proceedings, Lateef Lawal-Akapo dismissed two seperate applications of Titi Akinlawon (SAN) and E.L. Akpofure (SAN).

Akinlawon had in an application dated March 3 asked for an order adjourning further hearing pending the determination of her application at the court of appeal.

Akpofure also in an application dated Febraury 17 objected to the inclusion of Jandy Trust Ltd as one of the defendants because there was nothing in the proof of evidence linking the company to the crimes.

Lawal-Akapo in his ruling said:”Section 273 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law states that subject to the constitution, an application for a stay of proceedings in respect of a criminal matter before the high court should not be entertained.”

On the proposed exclusion of JandyTrust Ltd from the charge, the judge said: “The court cannot delve into substantive issues at the interlocutory stage thereby outraging the sense of justice of an independent observer sitting in court”.

“I find no merit in the two applications, they are lacking in merit and substance.

“This is a clear case of abuse of court processes to the irritation and annoyance of the court.”

The judge immediately ordered the arraignment of Fatiregun, Ogundeji and the trustees of the church in spite of opposition from the defence.

The case was adjourned to April 26 for hearing of the defendants’ bail applications.