Court Trial For TB Joshua Begins

TB Joshua supporters in court on October 13, 2014, Monday.

The coroner’s court set up by Lagos State Government began sitting on inquest into the death of scores of people who were killed in a collapsed building of T.B. Joshua’s Church.
The Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe, who headed the trial, mentioned that the inquest would not work as normal. He told the purpose of the inquiry was not to find out who was guilty, but rather to define how the tragedy happened, in order to prevent a recurrence in future.

The court, he stressed, was not on a task to prosecute or persecute anyone. 

While guaranteeing that justice would be done in the matter, he also asked for co-operation from the South African Embassy in Nigeria, with an appeal that it should force family members of victims to come up to give blood samples with a view to recognizing the corpses for burial by the grieving families.

Oyetade Komolafe declared that all evidence must be front-loaded for all counsels to explain with its facts before witnesses would be asked questions concerning evidence they prepared.  

When the coroner called on all interested parties, there was no representation from any family of the perished victims in the Synagogue building collapse. Instead, the court was taken by supporters of the Prophet T.B. Joshua, including persons living with disability who said they are recipients of his kindness at his Church. A famous musician, T-Mac, was also at the court in solidarity with Prophet T.B. Joshua.

The supporters of the General Overseer of the Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) acted in a peaceful way at a Lagos High Court before the hearing. 

After arguments by counsels to the Church failed, Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe said that all parties to the inquiry, including the media, would visit the site of collapse on Thursday. Witnesses will begin sharing their evidences on 27th of October.  

It would be recalled that tragedy of a collapsed building of the Synagogue Church of All Nations happened on September 12, 2014 in Ikotun area of the state and killed over 115 persons.