The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) has furnished the court with a
comprehensive list of the names of lodgers at a guest house, which collapsed
within the premises of the court, more than a month ago, killing over 100
people, many of them nationals of South Africa.
This came after repeated calls for the list by the coroner, Mr Oyetade Komolafe, who is conducting an inquest into the cause of death and also by the Chief Pathologist for Lagos State, Professor John Obafunwa.
The coroner, who acknowledged that the court had been furnished with the list by the SCOAN at the resumed hearing on Tuesday, pointed out that the list is very vital to the inquest.
“The church, yesterday, furnished the court with the list and this would go a long way in clarifying so many pending issues,” he said.
While also being cross- examined by counsel for SCOAN, Olalekan Ojo, the Lagos State Chief Pathologist, refuted claims that the team of forensic experts in Nigeria prevented those from South Africa from taking part in the autopsy of the victims of the disaster.
Obafunwa told the court that the forensic experts from South Africa were scientific forensics, trained in fingerprints.
“There is a difference between a forensic pathologist and a forensic scientist. The teams from South Africa were police officers, who are trained in finger prints. Their expertise was not in doubt, as we reviewed protocols together and took them on a tour of our facilities. As regards to international standards, forensics from other countries would need a temporary license from the Medical the council of Nigeria to get approval,” he said.
When the counsel for SCOAN posited hypothetically to Obafunwa that disaster could have been triggered off by an explosive device, which culminated to the collapse of the building, he could not give a specific answer, as his final report had not been submitted.
“There is need to wait for my final report. But giving a hypothetical scenario of an explosive material planted in a building, which later collapsed, death might arise from a number of factors. Some would die from the effect of the crush, some from the result of fire, which could occur before and after death, and there would still be burns.
“Some might also die as a result of severe blood loss, because of shrapnel from the explosion and it is not uncommon to see people who are close to the center of the incident completely disintegrated,” he replied.
An official of the Nigerian Red Cross, who said he supervised the search and rescue operation at the scene throughout the period of the incident, Ige Oladimeji Samuel, told the court that the church provided 10 ambulances to convey the survivors to the hospital and the dead to the mortuary. He commended the church for cooperating with the organisation.
“We were not prevented from entering the premises and the scene of the incident. The Nigerian Red Cross provided one ambulance while SCOAN provided 10 ambulances. The SCOAN members worked together with us and provided assistance,” he said.
The inquest was adjourned to Thursday for continuation of hearing.http://www.tribune.com.ng/news/news-headlines/item/20092-synagogue-releases-names-of-guests-at-collapsed-building
This came after repeated calls for the list by the coroner, Mr Oyetade Komolafe, who is conducting an inquest into the cause of death and also by the Chief Pathologist for Lagos State, Professor John Obafunwa.
The coroner, who acknowledged that the court had been furnished with the list by the SCOAN at the resumed hearing on Tuesday, pointed out that the list is very vital to the inquest.
“The church, yesterday, furnished the court with the list and this would go a long way in clarifying so many pending issues,” he said.
While also being cross- examined by counsel for SCOAN, Olalekan Ojo, the Lagos State Chief Pathologist, refuted claims that the team of forensic experts in Nigeria prevented those from South Africa from taking part in the autopsy of the victims of the disaster.
Obafunwa told the court that the forensic experts from South Africa were scientific forensics, trained in fingerprints.
“There is a difference between a forensic pathologist and a forensic scientist. The teams from South Africa were police officers, who are trained in finger prints. Their expertise was not in doubt, as we reviewed protocols together and took them on a tour of our facilities. As regards to international standards, forensics from other countries would need a temporary license from the Medical the council of Nigeria to get approval,” he said.
When the counsel for SCOAN posited hypothetically to Obafunwa that disaster could have been triggered off by an explosive device, which culminated to the collapse of the building, he could not give a specific answer, as his final report had not been submitted.
“There is need to wait for my final report. But giving a hypothetical scenario of an explosive material planted in a building, which later collapsed, death might arise from a number of factors. Some would die from the effect of the crush, some from the result of fire, which could occur before and after death, and there would still be burns.
“Some might also die as a result of severe blood loss, because of shrapnel from the explosion and it is not uncommon to see people who are close to the center of the incident completely disintegrated,” he replied.
An official of the Nigerian Red Cross, who said he supervised the search and rescue operation at the scene throughout the period of the incident, Ige Oladimeji Samuel, told the court that the church provided 10 ambulances to convey the survivors to the hospital and the dead to the mortuary. He commended the church for cooperating with the organisation.
“We were not prevented from entering the premises and the scene of the incident. The Nigerian Red Cross provided one ambulance while SCOAN provided 10 ambulances. The SCOAN members worked together with us and provided assistance,” he said.
The inquest was adjourned to Thursday for continuation of hearing.http://www.tribune.com.ng/news/news-headlines/item/20092-synagogue-releases-names-of-guests-at-collapsed-building
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