REPORT ON SYNAGOGUE BUILDING COLLAPSE NOT READY - POLICE
The Police anti-bomb squad on Wednesday said the report of its investigations into the collapse of a building within the Synagogue Church of All Nations was not yet ready.
DSP Olakunle Olanrewaju, Commander, Explosive Ordinances Devices (EOD) Unit, Lagos State Police Command, disclosed this while testifying before the coroner's inquest investigating the cause of the incident.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 116 persons were killed after the six-storey building collapsed on Sept. 12.
Olanrewaju, under cross-examination by Mr Olanrewaju Ojo, the counsel representing Synagogue Church, said the team visited the scene of the incident on Sept.13 to perform post-blast Investigation.
He said:" It was my boss, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Kayode Aderanti, that instructed me to go.
"When I got to the scene, I saw officials of the National Emergency Management Agency, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Red Cross and other security agencies carrying out rescue operations."
Olanrewaju said the presence of the rescuers affected the work of the team because the usual practice was for such areas to be cordoned off to enable the result to be accurate.
He said the team however collected soil samples, bricks and roofing sheets from the scene which were later sent to the commissioner.
"The samples have been taken to the laboratory but the result is not yet out.
"The outcome of the test will confirm or disprove whether or not explosives were used to bring down the building," the witness said.
Olanrewaju said the CCTV footage of the incident shown to the team revealed that the building collapsed within seconds.
He also admitted while being cross-examined by the counsel to the Lagos State Government, Mr Akingbolahan Adeniran, that the team did not find detonators or batteries at the scene.
"My lord, in EOD, we base our findings on the test that is carried out. We can't presume because we rely on scientific test.
"We have to wait for the result; but I can't give the time when it will come out," the bomb expert said.
NAN reports that the matter was adjourned till Dec.18 for further hearing. (NAN)
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