Collapsed Lekki Gardens’ building has no plan- Witness

A prosecution witness, Marius Agwu, on Monday told Justice Sybil
Nwaka of a Lagos High Court in Igbosere that the building that
collapsed inside the Lekki Gardens Estate on March 8, 2016, had no
approved plan.

Agwu made the disclosure while testifying at the commencement of
the trial of the Managing Director of Lekki Gardens Estate Limited,
Nyong Richard and seven others over alleged involuntary
manslaughter and failure to obtain building permits.

In his examination-in-chief by the Director of Public
Prosecution (DPP), Titilayo Shitta-bay, the witness disclosed that
the initial plan of the building was a three-storey building, but
that Nyong later told him of his intention to increase it to five
floors because of the high demand from subscribers.

Agwu who claimed to be an architect further told the court that
when his attention was drawn to the defect on the collapsed
building by one, Omolabake Mortune, he drew Nyong’s attention to it
but nothing was done.

“I have known Nyong since 2011 and we became close friends after
he introduced himself to me as a developer and I told him I am an
architect. He later told me about a project in Lekki and asked if I
would be able to provide him architectural design services. After
showing him portfolio of the designs I had done, Nyong was
convinced and then gave me a brief to design for him.

“I designed Lekki Gardens phase 1 project in Ajah, it is a
development of four to three bedroom flats. I was not an employee
of Lekki Gardens Estate Ltd Company and I was not receiving
salary”, he said.

The witness added that he also introduced one, Lanre Olanrewaju
of Geostruct Consult Ltd, a piling expert he met at Soborne Ikoyi,
in 2013, to the first defendant. He claimed he did 38 points of the
pilling of the collapsed building.

While being cross-examined by lawyer to the first, sixth and
seventh defendants, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), the witness admitted not
being a registered architect.

Agwu who said the piling of the collapsed building was his first
experience, said no integrity and soiling test was conducted on the
building.

However, when asked if he could remember telling the police that
the company which handled the piling conducted integrity and
soiling test on the building in his statement on May 16, 2016, he
said could no longer remember.

The statement was later tendered by Olanipekun and it was
admitted as an exhibit by the judge.

Further hearing in the trial has been adjourned to December
14.

A prosecution witness, Marius Agwu, on Monday told Justice Sybil
Nwaka of a Lagos High Court in Igbosere that the building that
collapsed inside the Lekki Gardens Estate on March 8, 2016, had no
approved plan.

Agwu made the disclosure while testifying at the commencement of
the trial of the Managing Director of Lekki Gardens Estate Limited,
Nyong Richard and seven others over alleged involuntary
manslaughter and failure to obtain building permits.

In his examination-in-chief by the Director of Public
Prosecution (DPP), Titilayo Shitta-bay, the witness disclosed that
the initial plan of the building was a three-storey building, but
that Nyong later told him of his intention to increase it to five
floors because of the high demand from subscribers.

Agwu who claimed to be an architect further told the court that
when his attention was drawn to the defect on the collapsed
building by one, Omolabake Mortune, he drew Nyong’s attention to it
but nothing was done.

“I have known Nyong since 2011 and we became close friends after
he introduced himself to me as a developer and I told him I am an
architect. He later told me about a project in Lekki and asked if I
would be able to provide him architectural design services. After
showing him portfolio of the designs I had done, Nyong was
convinced and then gave me a brief to design for him.

“I designed Lekki Gardens phase 1 project in Ajah, it is a
development of four to three bedroom flats. I was not an employee
of Lekki Gardens Estate Ltd Company and I was not receiving
salary”, he said.

The witness added that he also introduced one, Lanre Olanrewaju
of Geostruct Consult Ltd, a piling expert he met at Soborne Ikoyi,
in 2013, to the first defendant. He claimed he did 38 points of the
pilling of the collapsed building.

While being cross-examined by lawyer to the first, sixth and
seventh defendants, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), the witness admitted not
being a registered architect.

Agwu who said the piling of the collapsed building was his first
experience, said no integrity and soiling test was conducted on the
building.

However, when asked if he could remember telling the police that
the company which handled the piling conducted integrity and
soiling test on the building in his statement on May 16, 2016, he
said could no longer remember.

The statement was later tendered by Olanipekun and it was
admitted as an exhibit by the judge.

Further hearing in the trial has been adjourned to December
14.