Nigerian preacher TB Joshua who was slapped with a bold denial by the Nigerian High Court, has chosen to defy the court order to testify in the investigation into the collapse of a building at his church’s compound which killed 116 people last September.
Joshua has vexatiously evaded the Coroner’s hearing, causing delay on hundreds of grieving families who are waiting to obtain a judicial understanding of what truly went wrong when his giant building collapsed on their loved ones on the 12th September last year.
The incident claimed 116 lives, two of them Zimbabweans who included MDC leader Greenwich Ndanga.
Soon after the disaster, the state government of Lagos launched the inquest through the Coroner’s Court to ascertain why his six-storey building in the compound of the Synagogue Church of All Nations crashed down.
Joshua, lead pastor of All Nations, had claimed that the collapse was the result of an attempt on his life by Islamist radicals. However, government officials believe the collapse was down to construction work that compromised the structural integrity of the building.
The preacher, who is popular in Nigeria for his reported prophetic and healing abilities, attempted to halt the investigation into the collapse, claiming that it was outside of the Coroner’s jurisdiction.
However, a Lagos state court judge dismissed Joshua’s motion on March 6 on the grounds that it lacked merit.
Last Thursday, Business Day Live (BD Live) reported that once again Joshua did not appear at the hearing scheduled before the Coroner’s Court. His representative, Seun Abimbola, told the Coroner’s Court that they have filed an appeal against the state court’s ruling and have also requested a temporary stay on the judgment.
The coroner told Mr Abimbola that he expected Joshua to appear but added that although he could issue a bench warrant for the preacher’s arrest, it was his preference to avoid taking such measures.
“[I] don’t want to do that,” he said.
He told Mr Abimbola to specify a date for Joshua’s attendance at the court.
The Lagos state government attorney told BD Live that they did not receive any notice about TB Joshua’s appeal and that because of this, “the high court ruling stands.” ChristianToday/Additional Reporting