The DPO in charge of the Ikotun
division, CSP Haruna Alaba, has told the coroner at the ongoing inquest into
the collapsed building at Synagogue Church that the possibility of sabotage
against the church has not been ruled out as the possible causes of the
incident that left more than 100 people dead.
According to the Chief
Superintendent of Police, going by documented evidence he had seen, including
the CCTV security footage of the collapsed building, it was possible that the
building could have been bombed or demolished using explosives. These
suspicions, he said, are still being thoroughly investigated to ensure that the
true cause of the collapse is ascertained.
Speaking further, CSP Haruna also
observed that on the fateful day of the incident, an aircraft flying at a very low altitude had been
sighted close to the building shortly before it went down like a pack of cards.
Though, he agreed that it was not unusual to see aircraft flying above the
Ikotun area due to its proximity to the airport, the
DPD pointed out that the aircraft sighted on the day of the incident was flying
unusually low such that even the police radio room went on air to announce the
strange occurrence prior to the collapse.
While undergoing cross-examination
by counsel to the Lagos State Government, Akingbolahon Adeniran, the DPO
further explained that
despite the near-pandemonium that
was witnessed on the day of the incident as a result of massive crowd, he and
his men were able to achieve their goal of ensuring the enabling environment
for the various rescue operators to carry out their duties.
This submission contradicted the
account of the General Manager of LASEMA, Dr. Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, which
suggested that he and his team were assaulted and that the police did not help
them in the discharge of their statutory duties. According to DCP Alaba, it was
true that he and his men had a hectic time controlling the crowd which had
built up around the entrance to the church, the development did not stop them
from ensuring a hitch-free rescue operation.
He further observed that there were
instances when people who could not properly identify themselves were barred
from entering the premises, citing the fact that the measure helped in
preventing the influx of criminals, hoodlums and other miscreants who could
have seized the emergency situation to carry out their nefarious activities.
He said: “I am surprised that the
LASEMA boss claimed that he was assaulted or was not given an enabling
environment to operate. That’s not true. We worked together and he never once
complained to me during or after the operation that he was hindered.
“My men were solely responsible for
the admittance and rejection of personalities into the scene of incident. The
church members didn’t constitute any nuisance as speculated in some quarters.
What some fail to remember is that there is a market beside the church and that
the street the church is located is a public place. Also, the government
agencies only brought one excavator that I am aware only worked for a few hours
before it packed up. It was Julius Berger who came to the rescue by moving in
with heavy duty machines.”
He further added, “The police would
not rule out the issue of sabotage because bombs could have been planted
anywhere, including air conditioners. We will also investigate the issue of the
plane because on that particular day, we got several complaints from our
control room about the appearance of aircrafts flying too low for comfort. It
created quite a panic among the residents”.
The presiding magistrate adjourned
proceedings until Wednesday, 19th November, noting that Prophet T.B. Joshua
would be expected in court the following day on Thursday.
By Nosa Osazuwa
- was present during the court
proceedings in Lagos.
No comments:
Post a Comment