Judge backs coroner in Lagos church building collapse case

[WorldNews]

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A coroner investigating the collapse of a church building in Nigeria's capital that killed 116 people was within his rights to summon the head preacher to give evidence, a high court judge said Friday. Judge Lateefat Okunnu dismissed an attempt by lawyers for the popular televangelist TB Joshua to limit the scope of the inquest on the grounds that the coroner had exceeded his powers. Joshua, whose followers at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) call him the "Prophet" and "Man of God", was ordered three times to appear before the inquest probing the collapse. Judge Okunnu said in her ruling that the coroner had legal powers to call anyone who may assist in determining the identities of the victims, as well as how, when and why they died.

 

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