Coroner’s verdic: Survivors of Synagogue building collapse, lawyers, church members tell court to let TB Joshua alone
By Rotimi Akinola
If the founder of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) Temitope Balogun Joshua is to be tried in the court of public opinion over his church building collapse, he should walk free.
Lagos Coroner Oyetade Komolafe may have given a verdict approving the prosecution of SCOAN “for not obtaining the relevant approval before embarking on the construction of the building.” But a significant section of the public does not feel the same way.
This pro-Joshua throng is led by the survivors of the September 12 tragedy in which 115 people met their deaths.
You think those affected by the tragedy would cheer the coroner’s verdict? Well, you’re wrong.
“I do not believe in scientific findings for spiritual matters,” Thirty-five-year-old South African, Emma Nkanyane, who survived the tragedy, said after learning about the verdict.
“I am not going to accept the findings. I will not blame the church for what happened. Only God will give us the truth, not some experts.”
Phillip Mbedzi, whose 30-year-old daughter, Mpho, died in the tragedy, said he was not interested in the findings of “a devilish investigation,” South Africa’s Times Live is reporting.
“We were waiting for this verdict. The bishop told us that this would be the outcome. He will guide us moving forward.
“It is just the work of the devil to destroy our bishop but we shall not be shaken,” the 61-year-old father from Vhembe district, in Limpopo, said.
No less than 85 South Africans died in the September 12 tragedy that claimed 115 lives.
Lagos Coroner’s Court believes the church and its leadership should be probed and prosecuted for criminal negligence.
SCOAN’s legal counsel, Olalekan Ojo, issued a statement denouncing the coroner’s “biased” verdict.
“The church maintains its stand that the incident was as a result of sabotage,” he said.
He insisted that the sabotage was caused by a strange aircraft which hovered the building just before it collapsed.
Ojo later told AP: “The court ruled that there was no connection between the hovering aircraft and the collapsed structure. By so doing, the court has ignored the testimony of the police.”
“We, as the legal team, will sit and if there is any need to take further steps to have the verdict reviewed we will do so.”
After SCOAN posted Ojo’s statement on it’s official Facebook page, church members went online to express solidarity for TB Joshua.
Ghanaian, Kwaku Boadu said: “The Coroner had his agenda to close down SCOAN. No wonder he has turned the truth upside down in his report.”
The thread was littered with over 2,800 comments as at the time of filing this report. An overwhelming majority of the commenters expressed support for “The Prophet” as TB Joshua is popularly called.
.
