Synagogue:I am sick, contrator tells coroner

The contractor, who built the collapsed Synagogue’s six-storey building, Mr. Akin Fatiregun, has said he is sick and currently receiving treatment at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos State.

He therefore asked the coroner, Magistrate O.A. Komolafe, who is investigating the circumstances surrounding the September 12 building collapse to allow him get well before coming to give testimony as he had been requested to do.

Fatiregun, who was billed to appear before the coroner on Friday, made the request at the proceedings through his legal representative, Serah Edoha.

Edoha assured Komolafe that Fatiregun’s failure to appear in court was not done in deliberate disobedience to the court’s order.

To support her claim, she tendered a medical report from LASUTH.

But the admissibility of the report subsequently became a subject of debate amongst the various counsel who appeared in court.

Reacting to the development, counsel for the Lagos State Government, Mr. Akingbolahan Adeniran questioned the authenticity of the medical report.

Besides, Adeniran said the contractor ought to have sent a member of his team to appear in court in view of time.

But the counsel for the Synagogue Church Of All Nations, Mr. Olalekan Ojo argued that it was against the rule for a witness to delegate another person to represent him in court.

Ojo, while urging the court to admit the medical report as the evidence that Fatiregun was sick, maintained that LASUTH as a hospital has unquestionable reputation.

“The medical report from LASUTH is highly reputable all over the world and cannot be challenged. The contractor seriously has the passion to be in court, but his ill health would not allow him,” OJo insisted.

Taking a decision on the issue, the coroner said, “I am not doubting the report obtained from LASUTH until the contrary is established. But the report shows that the contractor is sick.”

Meanwhile, a United Kingdom based Nigerian and a volunteer with the SCOAN, Mr. Robert Badagry, told the coroner that the rescue operation was marred by insufficient equipment.

Badagry also insisted that the emergency response team did not work all round the clock on the site.

Badagry said, “Eighty five per cent of the first response team left the collapsed site at about 5:30pm even when they have the knowledge that some persons were still being trapped underneath the collapsed guest house.

“A man who introduced himself as a representative of the Federal Government did not even come with any equipment at least for the purpose of the rescue operation.

“But the church members stayed back after the first response team had left to continue saving lives. The police were equally on the ground to ensure that enough security was provided for the rescue operation.

“The first response team were being economical with the truth when they said they were denied easy access to the collapsed site. An entire structure cannot come down at once as a result of structural defect.”