A coroner on Wednesday
threatened popular Nigerian preacher TB Joshua with arrest if he failed to
testify at an inquest into the deaths of 116 people at his church.
Oyetade Komolafe rejected arguments
from Joshua’s lawyers that the televangelist should not be summoned because he
did not directly witness the September 12 tragedy.
A total of 84 South Africans were
among the dead when a guesthouse for foreign followers at Joshua’s Synagogue
Church of All Nations (SCOAN) collapsed in Lagos.
Joshua, known to members of his
church as “The Prophet” or “The Man of God”, has indicated that sabotage was to
blame and linked the collapse to a low-flying aircraft seen in the area at the
time.
“The court has the power to summon
whoever it deems necessary to assist it,” Komlafe told the hearing in the city.
“The counsel should advise The
Prophet to come. The church is not on trial. It’s not a matter of ego. Nobody
is above the law. The court will be fair to all.
“If he is an institution with
immunity, the court will not even go there. If the man refuses to come, he can
be arrested… He has to appear. We summoned The Prophet. We summoned the
contractors.”
Joshua, a self-styled miracle worker
who claims he can see the future, counts powerful business figures, politicians
and African presidents among his flock.
He is one of Nigeria’s five richest
pastors, with an estimated net worth from SCOAN and his emmanuel.tv network of
between $10 million and $15 million, according to Forbes magazine in 2011.
He is due to give evidence on
November 5.
A pathologist and emergency service
workers disagreed with Joshua’s theory of a possible explosion, citing crush
injuries to the victims and the absence of blast wounds or fire at the site.
Building inspectors have previously
said the addition of extra floors to the guesthouse, without strengthening the
foundations, was the likely cause of the collapse.
The inquest was adjourned until
Thursday.
TB Joshua Gets Arrest Warning Over Lagos Church Building Collapse Evidence
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Thursday, October 30, 2014
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