(NIGERIA) Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe of the Lagos State Coroners Court sitting in Ikeja, today admitted the medical report, tendered by the contractor handling the collapsed guest house belonging to the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Engineer Akin Fatiregun.
This development came sequel to the revelation made by counsel to the contractor, Serah Edoha that her client who is currently seriously ill is presently on bed rest at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).
The lawyer said the contractor who was expected to testify before the court on Friday, argued that it was not the intention of Fatiregun to disobey the court's summons earlier served on him to appear before it for the purposes of testifying.
The Coroner who after listening to the arguments of other lawyers involved in the inquest on the admissibility of the report said, "I am not doubting the report obtained from LASUTH until the contrary is established. But the report shows that the contractor is sick."
Specifically in his argument on the admissibility of the report, lawyer to the state, Akingbolahan Adeniran who posited that the report should be verified, maintained that the contractor should have sent other representatives to testify, bearing in mind time is of the essence.
On his part, counsel to SCOAN, Olalekan Ojo stressed that all that is required is for the medical report to be tendered before the court.
The lawyer further argued that it is not possible for another person to appear to testify before the court, because the court summoned only the sick contractor.
According to Ojo, "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.
Meanwhile, a Britain citizen and volunteer with SCOAN, Robert Badagry in his testimony before the court expressed sadness that rescue workers did not come to the collapsed site with enough equipments.
According to Badagry, "Eighty five percent of the first responders left the collapsed site at about 5:30pm even when they have the knowledge that some dead 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 atleast for the purposes of rescue operations.
"But the church members stayed back after the first responders had left to continue saving lives. The police was equally on ground to ensure that enough security was provided for the rescue operation.
"The first responders 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.
"I was not at the collapsed site all through the night and cannot speak directly as per the rescue operation that took place all through the night."
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