AIRCRAFT NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR COLLAPSE OF SYNAGOGUE BUILDING – WITNESS

At least 116 people, mainly miracle seekers from South Africa died when the church auditorium under construction collapsed in September 12, 2014. The footage of video available online showed the building going down in a form only seen in controlled demolition like when the Bank of Industry(BOI) building in Lagos was brought down by expert through implosion.

But former Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Olutoyin Adedamola Ayinde made the revelation while testifying before a Lagos High Court in a suit between the Lagos State Government and the Board of Trustees of the Synagogue Church of All Nation(SCOAN).

On Tuesday, he had testified that the building collapsed after the third round of the aircraft hovering round the building. But at the hearing today, he told the court that the aircraft had nothing to do with the collapsed building.
According to him, the aircraft flew at an altitude of about 130 metres which he said is equal to 4 times the height of NITEL building in Marina, Lagos.

Ayinde who served as commissioner under former Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola when the building collapsed said based on information the ministry obtained from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority(NCAA), showing the flight swab, or flight path which was plotted against the aerial photograph of Lagos in the Surveyor General’s Office, the aircraft was not close enough to cause the building to collapse.

In his defence, counsel to SCOAN told the court that he has just been served documents containing photographs tendered as evidence by the Lagos State Government. He argued that he needed time to confer with his client and study the documents to enable him make a reply.However, Justice Lawal Akapo has fixed June 27, 28 and 29 for continuation of trial.