Lagos Sets Up Coroner's Inquest To Probe Synagogue Building Collapse

A Coroner's Inquest under the Lagos State Coroner's System Law No. 7
of 2007 was on Friday instituted to probe the cause and manner of the
six storey Synagogue building collapse, which led to the death of at
least 78 people.

The Coroner in this case is Magistrate O. A. Komolafe, who also sat as
Coroner in the Dana Air Crash case.

The building which was under construction was partly being used as a
guest lodge, prior to the incident.

The leader of the Synangogue Church of All Nations, to which the
collapsed building belonged, had claimed that the collapse was trigged
by activities of a "strange aircraft" which had allegedly hovered
above the building four times, within a few hours.

He claimed that he was the target of whoever was behind the move.

However, the Lagos State Attorney General & Commissioner for Justice,
Mr Ade Ipaye, has instigated a Coroner's Inquest under section 15 of
the Coroner Law which provides that a Coroner shall hold an inquest
whenever he is informed that the death of a deceased person lying
within his Coroner District was as a result of a violent, unnatural or
suspicious occurrence.

This information was disclosed in a statement by the spokesman, Lagos
State Ministry of Justice, Bola Akingbade.

In the statement, Ipaye highlighted that the Coroner had extensive
powers to investigate the cause and circumstances of death and bring
his findings and recommendations to the attention of appropriate
authorities.

"In doing this, he has all the powers of a magistrate to summon and
compel the attendance of witnesses, including medical examiners, and
require them to give evidence, produce documents or present other
relevant materials," he added.

He said: "The Law requires the verdict of a Coroner as certified in
writing to be forwarded to the State Attorney General and such verdict
may form the basis of criminal prosecutions depending on the evidence
collected".

According to Ipaye, the Coroner, Magistrate O. A. Komolafe is expected
to announce his sitting/visitation schedules and other details and to
hold the inquest at the premises of the High Court of Lagos State, Oba
Akinjobi Way, Ikeja.