Weeks after they
were granted bail by the court, the contractors that handled the construction
of the collapsed Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) building, Akinbola
Fatiregun and Oladele Ogundeji, were today, Monday 20 June, 2016 released from
the Kirikiri Maximum Prisons after meeting all their bail conditions.
The two engineers
had been remanded in prison pending trial for alleged manslaughter and criminal
negligence, charges levelled against them by the Lagos State Government.
Following the
ruling of the judge that they be remanded in prison custody, their bail
application was filed and subsequently granted, although meeting its conditions
took a while due to their stringent nature.
Having been
released, the engineers are expected to be in court on Tuesday 21 June, for the
continuation of their trial.
Meanwhile, at the
resumed trial today, counsel to defendants cross-examined the witness
representing the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NIBRRI) and the
Council Of Registered Engineers in Nigeria (COREN), Engineer Victor Oyenuga.
Lateef Fagbemi
(SAN) pointed out to the witness the fact that there is no proof of any
correspondence between NIBRRI and COREN regarding the report of the committee
said to have been set up by COREN which suggested structural faults were
responsible for the tragic incident.
The implication of
the foregoing is that the report could have been the mischievous creation of
some people with a sinister motive to rubbish the reputation of the engineers
who constructed the building.
Olalekan Ojo also
made it clear to the court that the Nigerian Institute of Structural Engineers
is not a creation of law and therefore is inconsequential in determining those
qualified to practice Structural Engineering as a profession.
This was in
response to Oyenuga’s insistence that the two engineers that handled the
construction of the guesthouse were not members of this organisation,
attempting to lend credence to his assertion they were incompetent.
The witness agreed
with the declaration of Mr Ojo but insisted that the Nigerian Institute of
Structural Engineering remains an affiliate of COREN.
Justice Lawal Akapo
adjourned proceedings to Tuesday 21 June, 2016 for continuation of trial
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