Appeal Court to rule in Synagogue’s building collapse case

The defendants are challenging the March 8, 2018 ruling of the Lagos State High Court, which dismissed the no-case submission that they filed in response to the charges. The SCOAN building in the Ikotun area of Lagos collapsed on September 12, 2014, killing 116 persons, including 85 South Africans. The Lagos State Government charged the engineers – Messrs Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela Fatiregun – and their companies – Hardrock Construction and Engineering Company and Jandy Trust Limited – with 110 counts of manslaughter. The Registered Trustees of SCOAN were also charged with one count of building without approval. The state said the defendants violated Section 222 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011 as well as Section 75 of the Urban and Regional Planning Law of Lagos State 2010. But upon their arraignment before Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo of the Lagos State High Court on April 19, 2016, the defendants pleaded not guilty. The state went on to open its case and eventually concluded in October 2017. In response to the prosecution’s case, the defendants, through their lawyers – Chief Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), Chief Efe Akpofure (SAN), Mrs Titi Akinlawon (SAN) and Mr Olalekan Ojo (SAN) – filed no-case submissions. The lawyers contended that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against their clients, adding that there was nothing in the evidence led by the prosecution to warrant their clients to proceed into any defence. They urged the court to discharge them and let them go. But in his March 8, 2018 ruling, Justice Lawal-Akapo dismissed their no-case submission and directed them to open their defence. Displeased with the lower court’s ruling, the defendants went on appeal. Having heard the appeal, a three-man appellate court panel presided over by Justice Abraham Georgewill, reserved its judgment to a date to be communicated to the parties.]]>

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