Judge tasks parties ahead of ruling

By Abdulwahab Abdulah, Bartholomew Madukwe & Victor Ogunsola

LAGOS—A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, yesterday, asked parties before Coroner’s Inquest investigating the September 12, 2014 building collapse at the Synagogue Church Of All Nations, to canvass arguments on whether the coroner was a “juristic person” that can be sued or can sue.

The judge, Justice Lateefa Okunnu, made the request after noting that the issue of “juristic person” needed to be addressed in the court, before her ruling on an application by the church against the coroner’s inquest investigating its collapsed building.

The suit was instituted against the Lagos State Coroner’s Court sitting in Ikeja, and the Coroner judge, Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe.

The judge directed parties to canvass arguments on the issue at the next adjournment date to assist the court in its ruling.

The coroner’s inquest was set up by the Lagos State Government to investigate the September 12, 2014 building collapse at SCOAN that killed 116 people.

In the suit before Justice Okunnu, the church wants the court to stay further proceedings of the inquest and suspend further actions on the invitation of the church’s General Overseer, Prophet Temitope Joshua, to appear to give evidence before it, pending the determination of its suit against Magistrate Komolafe.

The church, alongside its founder, had also prayed Justice Okunnu 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 the church on September 12, 2014.

The church also want the Lagos High Court to issue, “An order of Certiorari to bring the court for the purpose of quashing 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 September 12, 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.”