Synagogue Church rejects Lagos Coroner's verdict on collapsed church building

The Synagogue Church of All Nations has rejected the verdict reached by a coroner investigating the cause of the collapse of a six-storey building belonging to the church last year.

A statement released by the church, on Thursday, insisted that the building collapse, which killed about 116 people, was due to sabotage.

“The Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) rejects the verdict of the coroner on the grounds that it is unreasonable, one-sided and biased,” the church said in the statement issued by its lawyer, Olalekan Ojo.

‎”The church maintains its stand that the incident was as a result of sabotage.”

A coroner’s inquest instituted by the Lagos State government following the incident that led to the death of mostly South Africans, in September last year, delivered its verdict on Wednesday.

According to Oyetade Komolafe, the Coroner, the accident occurred due to the church’s 'criminal negligence,' ‎an action which deserves prosecution.

In its statement, the church noted that there was no finding, in the course of the inquest, that it engaged the services of unqualified or incompetent professionals for the construction of the building.

“There was no finding that the church procured substandard materials for the construction of the building, as confirmed by officials of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) who gave evidence at the coroner and certified the materials used were all approved and of good quality,” the church said.

Credit: Nigerian Tribune