A Lagos widow Amina Adegoke has dragged the Registered Trustees of the Deeper Christian life ministry before a Lagos multi-door court house demanding N20million damages for the death of her husband who died working for the church.
Joined as co-respondent is the General Superintendent of the church Pastor W. F. Kumuyi.
In a statement of issues filed before the court by a Lagos lawyer Barrister Charles Ebomah, it was alleged that sometime in July 2017 Pastor Kumuyi was scheduled to visit one of the churches at Temidire District, off AIT Road, Alagbado, Lagos for a weekend meeting.
Preparatory to the visit the respondents employed late Wasiu Adegoke, a carpenter among other artisans to renovate the church building in preparation for the visit.
The respondents through one of its pastors, Bayo Oyeyemi on 13 July, 2017 after close of work prevailed upon the deceased to work at night and while late Adegoke was working in the night an accident occurred as he fell and injured his head on the altar of the church.
There was no medical attention to the injured Adegoke until around 8.00am in the morning when he was taken to hospital half dead.
He eventually died at LASUTH on Tuesday 25 July, 2017 and his corpse was deposited at the morgue by the Church, where it remains till date.
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The widow’s effort in appealing to the church for assistance to secure her late husband’s corpse for burial proved abortive and have had to bear the death of her husband alone with that of their four children.
The applicant was compelled to approach the court to seek redress her lawyer said.
Wherefore the applicant claims against the respondents are as follows: An arrangement for the burial of the deceased without further delay and the cost of the burial to be borne by the respondents.
A payment of N20 million to the widow being damages.
However in statement of response filed before the court on behalf of the respondents by Barrister Nojim Tairu, the respondents averred that late Wasiu Adegoke was engaged as a daily worker along with other artisans to carry out renovation work on the roof of the building of Temidire District of the church near Sango Ota.
At about 6.30pm upon completion of the initial job which the deceased and two other carpenters were originally engaged and duly paid for, they were subsequently offered fresh fee for a new contract of dismantling the bamboo scaffolding used for the ceiling work of the building.
The deceased and his colleagues accepted the offer collected substantial part of the agreed fee in respect thereof and commenced the work same day.
In the process of dismantling the bamboo props, the deceased suddenly fell from the top of the ladder and in an attempt to avoid falling face down from the ladder, he heaved himself backward from the ladder and fell on his back with his head hitting the floor.
His colleagues and members of the church assisted him, he rested for about 10 minutes to continue his work. He later stop further work and went to sleep.
The following morning, at about 6am he was noticed to be in bad condition whereupon the Church took him to the nearest clinic for treatment, but the hospital advised that the deceased be taken to General hospital, thereafter he was moved to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH Ikeja, but there was no bed space for him.
He was subsequently referred to Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idi -Araba where he was recommended to undergo CT Scan which unfortunately could not be done until about 5pm because the hospital did not have oxygen carrier to move the life support equipment required to support the deceased for movement to diagnostic central for CT Scan.
The scan was later done and surgery was performed. The surgery was successful and he was later placed on ventilator for 10 days at the cost of N10,000 per day before he was finally pronounced dead.
The respondents were not responsible for the accidental fall of the deceased nor for aforesaid poor state of the health facilities in the aforementioned various hospitals.
All the hospital bills amounting to about N1 millon were solely borne by the respondents without any contribution by the relations of the deceased.
Consequently, the respondents contended that the applicant’s claim was bogus and bereft of any factual or legal foundation whereof same should be diminished.
The case has been adjourned till 28th of March, 2017.
