Emmanuel Thomas, Lagos
November 09, 2015 – Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court in Lagos today refused to honour request by engineers at work when a section of Synagogue Church of All Nations(SCOAN) collapsed, killing 116 people.
The engineers – Mr. Oladele Ogundeji and Mr. Akinbela Fatiregun, had filed two separate suits before Justice Buba, seeking an order to stop the police from inviting, arresting or prosecuting them for the 116 people who died when the building collapsed in September 12, 2015.
In his ruling, Justice Buba held that the engineers “had not made out a case of infringement on their fundamental rights even on the merit of the application,” and dismissed their applications.
The judge, who noted that the Coroner Law was an enactment of the Lagos State House of Assembly, which is constitutionally empowered to make laws in the state, said the Federal High Court could not dabble into the affairs of the state and start dishing out injunctive orders.
Justice Buba held that such request was ungrantable in the circumstance of the case under review.
“The Coroner’s inquest is not a court of law; it does not find anybody guilty, it only recommends. The Federal High Court cannot tamper with the Coroner Law, which is a Constitutional enactment of the Lagos State House of Assembly.”
The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, after the Coroner’s verdict, had promised implementation of the decision of the Coroner Inquest.
While reacting to Monday’s verdict by Justice Buba, the State Government hailed the ruling, and disclosed that Government would immediately seek arraignment and prosecution of the suspects at the Lagos High Court where charges are pending before Honourable Justice Lawal Akapo.
The Government’s position was contained in a statement from the office of the Attorney General of Lagos State and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem.
