News / Africa
Students plan mass protest in support of TB Joshua as police insist on sabotage
20 Nov 2014 at 14:16hrs | Views
Nigerian students from different parts of the country stormed the premises of the Ikeja High Court, Lagos during the Thursday November 20, 2014 hearing in the coroner's inquest into the collapsed Synagogue, Church Of All Nations building.
The placard-carrying students called on the Federal Government as well as the Lagos State Government to face the real issues and avoid the diversionary tactics aimed at witch-hunting Prophet T.B. Joshua, whom they described as a fatherly figure.
The students observed that unless the government made tangible efforts to address pertinent issues surrounding the collapse of the church building, they would have no choice than to embark on a nation-wide mass protest in solidarity with Joshua.
According to a spokesperson for the students and a student of the Delta State University, Abraka, who preferred anonymity: "Please, government should leave this man alone; he has been like a father to us, giving us scholarships and supporting our cause. We wonder why a residential area should become a training route for military aircraft. Why cover up the truth in pursuit of lies? If government fails to address some of these pertinent questions begging for answers, we will mobilize all Nigerian students for a mass protest nationwide in solidarity with our father, Prophet T.B. Joshua".
Meanwhile, the police witness, DSP Olushola Agboyi, still maintained his position that the Synagogue building collapsed as a result of sabotage through an explosion with either electronic or chemical devices.
Finally, the counsel to the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Olalekan Ojo, explained why Prophet T.B. Joshua could not make it to the coroner's inquest. He insisted that the prophet, as the chief mourner, had a lot of responsibility on his shoulders especially in lieu of the repatriation of 74 of the victims' bodies to South Africa.
"As you can see from the antecedents of this coroner, even if he had come today, it would have been a sheer waste of time since only one witness spoke whereas three were scheduled to. Also, he is very busy attending to the needs of the victims," he said.
The inquest, which closed unexpectedly early, is due to continue on Friday 21st November 2014.
Nosa Osazuwa has been present at the Ikeja High Court from the beginning of the coroner's inquest.
Source - Nosa Osazuwa