The Eti-Osa Bar Forum has called on the panel set up by the Lagos State government to prevail on the Surveyor-General of the State, Surv. Olutomi Sangowawa, to immediately unravel the identity of the owner of the landed property upon which the Ikoyi collapsed building was built.
The group has also set up a legal aid Situation Room for families of recovered and deceased persons, yet-to-be recovered persons and brutalised survivors to seek justice under the law.
This was made known in a statement jointly signed by the Chairman of the Forum, Oladotun Hassan; Secretary, Ayo Ademiluyi who also doubles as the Coordinator of the Ikoyi Building Collapse Legal Aid Situation Room and Andrew Bethel Philip, Chairman, Young Lawyers’ Forum and Deputy Coordinator of the Situation Room.
The statement reads: “Amidst the cacophony of different postulations of the identity of the owner (s) of the landed property upon which the building that collapsed at Gerrard Road, Ikoyi is being built, we of the Eti-Osa Bar Forum hereby call on the Panel of Inquiry into the Ikoyi Building Collapse to issue summons on the Surveyor-General of Lagos State to tell the whole world who the REAL OWNER(S) of the property is/are.
“We have set up a Legal Aid Situation Room in public interest for families of recovered and deceased persons, yet to be recovered persons and brutalised survivors to seek justice under the law.
“Hotlines of our Situation Room are 09097933015,
+234 813 820 3010,
+234 803 393 1229.”
Speaking with SaharaReporters, the Secretary of the forum, Ademiluyi explained further: “It is a forum of lawyers within the jurisdiction of Eti-Osa and this particular building, Gerrard Road Ikoyi falls within Eti-Osa jurisdiction so as concerned lawyers, we decided to set up a situation room for families of deceased, injured and yet to be recovered people because there are still dozens of people underground.
”A panel has already been constituted by the government and from media sources, they are sitting at Lagos State Water Waste Authority, Falomo opposite the MTN building.
“Tomorrow, some of our lawyers will be going to that panel to go and confirm the venue, confirm the procedure and according to media, they started sitting on Friday, tomorrow will be the second time, they have thirty days to sit.
“That is just bulletin 1, another bulletin will soon be out because we just have to come out and play our historical role, it’s clear that they want to hide the identity of the owner of that property.
“What we are saying is that the panel should issue a summons on the Surveyor-General who is the custodian of all the C of O to come and explain who is the real owner of the property.”
