The Managing Director of Lekki Gardens, Mr. Richard Nyong, has been arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Lagos following the collapse of one of the buildings being developed by the company in the Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial city.
The incident led to the death of 34 people, leaving several others injured.
Hearing in the case began on Friday with Mr Nyong and one of the contractors who supervised the collapsed structure, Mr Taiwo Odofin, brought into court handcuffed.
The Ebutte Metta Magistrate Court, presided over by Chief Magistrate Folashade Botoku, ordered the remand of Mr Nyong, the owner of the collapsed building, and Mr Odofin.
Their arraignment followed their arrest on Thursday by the police.
The remand order of the court was premised on an ex-parte application brought before the court by the Officer-in-Charge of Legal Department of Police, Mr Eno-Edobor Thomas, a Chief Superintendent of Police.
Arguing the ex-parte application for the remand of the two suspects, Mr Godwin Osuyi, from the Legal Department of the Police Force informed the court that the application was filed to enable the police conclude its investigation into the matter. Osuyi further informed the court that the application was supported with a 19 paragraph-affidavit deposed to by Inspector Alli Wesere, and attached with five exhibits.
The exhibits, according to Osuyi includes: Extract from police diary of the collapsed building: statements of the suspects: photographs of the suspects and photographs of the deceased.
He therefore urged the court to remand the two suspects till the police conclude their investigation and proper charges are filed against the suspects.
However, in opposing the police remand application, Olabode Olanipekun and Uangbooje Femi, lawyers to the two suspects, urged the court to either admit their clients to bail on liberal terms or make an order directing the suspects to report to the police during working hours.
In response to their submission, the police prosecutor said that what was before the court was an application for remand not a charge.
He, therefore, urged the court to remand the suspects in police custody to enable the police to conclude investigations and charge the suspects.
Ruling on the submissions of both parties, Chief Magistrate Botoku, upheld the application of the prosecution, and ordered that the two suspects be remanded at State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Panti-Yaba, for the first 30 days.
She subsequently adjourned the matter till April 12, 2016.
The five-storey building which was under construction, at Chisco Bus Stop near an Oando fuel service station in Lekki Phase 11, collapsed early in the morning on March 8, 2016.
-ChannelsTV