Lagos Names Coroner To Investigate SCOAN Collapse

    Lagos state government, has unveiled a Coroner to investigate the cause of the Synagouge Church of all Nations SCOAN, six storey building collapse in Ikotun area of the state.
                  This was made known in a statement issued on Friday, by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ade Ipaye, a copy obtained by The Nation.


According to the statement, the Coroner, Magistrate O. A. Komolafe, is saddled with the responsibility of establishing the cause and manner the tragic incident truly occurred. The inquest is scheduled to hold at the premises of the High Court of Lagos State, Oba Akinjobi Way, Ikeja, the state capital.
Komolafe, who was also the Coroner in the Dana Air Crash case, would also look into the several deaths that were recorded in the incident. The inquest was instigated by Ipaye, under section 15 of the Coroner Law which provides that a Coroner shall hold an inquest whenever he is informed that the death of a deceased person lying within his Coroner District was as a result of a violent, unnatural or suspicious occurrence.
The Attorney General, who reiterated that the Coroner has extensive powers to investigate the cause and circumstances of death and bring his findings and recommendations to the attention of appropriate authorities said: “In doing this, he has all the powers of a magistrate to summon and compel the attendance of witnesses, including medical examiners, and require them to give evidence, produce documents or present other relevant materials”.
Ipaye further explained that the Law requires the verdict of a Coroner as certified in writing to be forwarded to the State Attorney General, and that such verdict may form the basis of criminal prosecutions depending on the evidence collected.
He also disclosed that the coroner would announce his sitting and visitation schedules and other details soon.
It would be recalled that on September 20, 2014, Lagos State Building Control Agency marked the main building of the church, asking for relevant documents to prove its structural integrity.
It was also reported that the state government hinted that the 6-storey building which collapsed used to be a 2-storey building before the additional floors were added, a development the state government claimed it did not grant any approval for.