A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja on Tuesday adjourned the criminal negligence trial of the Registered Trustees of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) and two engineers over the September 12, 2014 collapsed building in which 116 people, most of them South Africans, were killed.
Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo said the case would resume “on April 8 for arguments” after a fresh challenge was brought by the defendants to halt the trial.
The trial of the church trustees – led by Prophet TB Joshua – and the engineers has had several adjournments since last year due to numerous legal challenges.
The criminal case follows a coroner’s ruling on July 8, 2015 that blamed the megachurch and two engineers for the building tragedy.
The inquest verdict attributed the collapse of the six-storey guesthouse to structural failures and said it did not have planning permission.
Joshua, dubbed “The Prophet” and “Man of God” by his followers, maintains a mysterious “hovering” aircraft that was seen over the building before the tragedy, or a controlled explosion, was to blame.
He never appeared to give evidence at the inquest and has repeatedly failed to come to court since the trial began last year, drawing criticism from Nigerians that the country’s legal system is not strong enough to hold a rich and powerful man accountable.
The case been recently compared with that of the collapsed building at Lekki Gardens which killed about 35 people.
Nigerians have knocked the government, arguing that while Lekki Gardens MD and contractor were immediately charged, brought to court in handcuff and remanded in custody, Joshua and his co-accused are treated like VIP.
