The Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Olutoyin Ayinde, made the information known while testifying at the ongoing Coroner\u2019s inquest into the incident.<\/div>\n
Ayinde told the inquest chaired by Oyetade Komolafe that investigations carried out by the ministry showed that the six-storey building had no approval.<\/div>\n
He said: \u201cFrom our records, we saw the approval in the name of Synagogue Church of All Nations dated January 26, 2004.<\/div>\n
\u201cThe approval was just for the main auditorium of the church.<\/div>\n
\u201cIt was an approval for a five-floor development.<\/div>\n
\u201cHowever, on our visit to the site, we discovered that it has been taken to the eighth floor, making the additional three floors illegal structures.<\/div>\n
\u201cFor the collapsed building, we did not find anything relating to it in our records.<\/div>\n
\u201cIt does not have our approval.\u201d<\/div>\n
The commissioner also expressed safety concerns over the additional floors being constructed at the church auditorium.<\/div>\n
Ayinde said: \u201cIn the ongoing construction, there is a lift shaft that is being developed and one of the columns is not taking off from the ground floor.<\/div>\n
\u201cIt is erected on a water tank<\/div>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know if an engineer certified that, but it should be investigated.\u201d<\/div>\n
Ayinde said the ministry wrote to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to get information on the mysterious aircraft that was said to have flown four times close to the building before it collapsed.<\/div>\n
He said from the NCAA\u2019s response, which was used by the Surveyor-General to plot the flight path swath, it was discovered that the plane was flying at about 1,100ft.<\/div>\n
Under cross-examination by the church\u2019s lawyer, Olalekan Ojo, the commissioner admitted that the existence of a building approval had nothing to do with its structural stability.<\/div>\n
Ayinde said: \u201cFrom the CCTV footage I watched, I discovered that the collapsed building fell asymmetrically.<\/div>\n
\u201cI can confirm that there are cases of induced demolition of a building.\u201d<\/div>\n
Ayinde disclosed that the debris from the site had been sent to the Lagos State Material Testing Laboratory for analysis and that the result was still being awaited.<\/div>\n
Also testifying, Joseph Agbenla, the Surveyor-General of Lagos State, said he plotted the coordinates of the flight path of the Nigerian Airforce plane.<\/div>\n
According to Agbenla, the aircraft flew at 137.02 metres or about 1,100ft above the building before it collapsed.<\/div>\n
Meanwhile, the court granted a request made by the South African High Commission for it to be granted more time for consultations before bringing its witnesses before the court.<\/div>\n
The coroner also ordered a lawyer, Olukoya Ogungbeje, to walk out of the court after he attempted to stop the day\u2019s proceedings.<\/div>\n
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