T.B. Joshua Building Collapse: Expert witness account backs church 

By Alex Olise 

The Synagogue Church of all Nation (SCOAN) is set to get victory in the collapsed building suit instituted against the Church and its site engineers by the Lagos state ministry of justice, this follows fresh witness testimony at the Lagos High Court today. 

The witness, an expert in town planning and consultant to Lagos state Government, Mr. Adebisi Adedire told the court that a builder can regularize its structure after building as the Law requires in Lagos State.  

During cross examination in the court by lawyers from the Lagos State ministry of justice, the town planner explained all the various procedure to be followed before a building is erected in the State, and in all its explanation the Church has complied in respect of the building which collapsed Four years ago. 

 According to Adebisi who is also chairman of institute of town planning Lagos state and a star witness in the case, any builder in Lagos state must have a building permit including other documents like survey certificate, certificate of occupancy, as well as development proposal. 

He told the court presided over by Hon. Justice Lawal Akapo that planning permit process gave automatic directives to a builder to develop a site as required by Law in the State. 

The witness enlightened the court that the process are done in Lagos state planning office which would be followed by paying assessment fee. 

He explained further that pre-screening is one of the first process undergo before taking physical possession of a land. Regularization according to him is a form of enforcement from the state Government. In essence it is a means where what is build as illegal now became legal after going through the process of regularization. 

He noted that many buildings in Lagos state were build without following the due process which was the major reason in state government in March 2018 placed advertorial in National dailies calling on owners of buildings in a State who are yet to regularize to come forward and do so within six months without payment of any fee. 

During the proceeding counsels to the Synagogue Church adopted copies of the said publication as a relevant material to be used in the case and this was accepted by the court and lawyers from Lagos state ministry of justice, the documents were presented by one of the Church counsel Olamilekan Ojo (SAN). 

It was smile all the way from lawyers representing the Church as the cross examination was in their favor as observed by National Daily during the court sitting. 

 During the sitting Justice Lawal Akapo cautioned one of the lawyers from the Lagos state ministry of justice not to be rude to any witness during cross examination. In his word “no lawyer is permitted to be rude to witness in court” .

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He made the statement after observing that the said lawyer from Lagos state ministry of justice used harsh words on Mr. Adebisi the witness during cross examination. 

The building which was within the Church premises collapsed in 2014 after a strange aircraft flew over the building before the incident and this is yet to be investigated before the Lagos state Government file suit against the Church over the collapsed building. 

The case has been adjourned to 6th and 7th December 2018.