Lagos State Government has changed its confession and position on The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations, just eight days after the official verdict of the coroner’s inquest.
On July 8, the coroner, Oyetade Komolafe, had indicted the church and recommended it be prosecuted. However, in a statement released July 16, the chief press secretary to Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Habib Aruna, has announced that the Lagos State govt. will no longer prosecute The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) but rather subject the church to a fine if found guilty of not obtaining the requisite building permit.
The cause of this sudden change towards The SCOAN is likely subject to the compelling CCTV footage presented to the court during the inquest. Showing the moments before, during and after the demise of the building, the CCTV footage was received as strong evidence, supporting the church’s position that the building had been sabotaged.
The international community was quick to point out that the footage revealed a controlled demolition, as opposed to the weak structural failure argument put out in the coroner’s verdict.
