Synagogue Collapsed Building: SCOAN Insists Coroners’ Court Not Known to Law

The Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, presided over by Justice Kazeem Alogba, was on Thursday notified that, the Lagos State Coroners Court which sat in Ikeja, and presided over by Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe, remains illegal. It would be recalled that the Coroners’ court carried out an inquest into the cause of the collapsed guest house belonging to the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN). Making this known, the Registered Trustees of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) in its argument noted that there is the need for a judicial review of the Lagos State coroner system. SCOAN prayed for an order to quash the verdict of the coroners’ court based on the reason that the court went beyond its statutory jurisdiction. Joined as respondents to the suit are Chief Magistrate Komolafe, the Attorney-General (AG) of Lagos State, and Lagos State. Earlier at the resumed hearing of the matter, counsel to SCOAN, E.L Akpofure (SAN), informed the judge that he had filed an application to challenge the jurisdiction of the Coroners’ Court. He said, “The Coroners’ Court of Lagos State, Alimosho District, which presided over and delivered the verdict is unknown to Coroners’ Court of Lagos State, 2007 and Coroner’s System Law (Subsidiary Legislation) which established the Coroners’ Court in Lagos State. “The Lagos Coroners’ System Law, 2007 only established Lagos, Ikeja, Yaba and Apapa districts and that Alimosho Coroners’ district, which presided over the Synagogue building collapse inquest was not a creation of the law.” The SAN added that the inquest acted in excess of its jurisdiction. Responding, Lagos State lawyer, Adeniji Kazeem asked the court to dismiss the application. Kazeem insisted that the application was dead on arrival as it did not meet order 40 of the Lagos State Coroners’ Law. He said, “The law is succinctly spelt out. The verdict of the Coroner was delivered on the 8th of July 2015, and they brought their application challenging jurisdiction six months after the Coroner’s verdict. All they sought for in their application was an extension of time.” Justice Alogba has adjourned the matter to February 19 for ruling on the application.