Synagogue Building Collapse: Witness tenders papers supporting 'terror attack theory'

A weapon researcher, Biedomo Iguniewei, who suggested high infrasonic radiation attack as the cause of the Synagogue Church for All Nations' building collapse last year, has submitted academic papers to back his claims.

A six-storey guest house within the premises of SCOAN in Lagos had, on September 12, 2014, collapsed, killing no fewer than 116 persons.

Iguniewei, 37, who described himself as an independent consultant with specific interest in explosives and weapon research, had testified in December last year before the Lagos coroner probing the cause of death of the 116 persons who perished in the collapsed building.

The witness, who claimed to be a post-graduate student of Explosives and Material Science at the Nigerian Defence Academy, had suggested that the aircraft that reportedly hovered above the church shortly before the building came down could have fired infrasonic radiations at the building.

He told the coroner, Magistrate O.A. Komolafe, that he was in a position to reach such a conclusion based on his six-year experience with the Nigerian Defence Academy.

According to Iguniewei, an infrasound is a type of sound measuring below 20Hz, which is below what the normal human ear could detect.

He said, 'The striking thing about infrasound is that you cannot hear it and you cannot see it but it causes remarkable vibrations when used as a weapon.

'Those of us who work with the security know that weapons are produced and they are always looking for where to test them.

'I am of the opinion that what happened that day, especially with the strange plane-like objects seen in the video, was that an infrasonic radiation was fired at the building; and if you observe, you will discover that it took about 30 minutes for the building to come down.'

He added, 'It is important for this court to be aware of this option but why it could have been used here is another matter entirely.

'But since I have been pondering why a building would collapse the way this one did, this is the most plausible explanation for me.'

The witness said it had become important to consider the option of infrasonic radiation, especially with the repeated movement of the aircraft, which was said to have repeatedly hovered over the collapsed building.

'That plane-like object flew close to the building, and that is all that is needed for the infrasonic radiation to reach the building. As far as I am concerned, the repeated hovering of the plane-like object is to ensure that the building received enough dose of the radiation sufficient to bring it down.

'Engineers generally believe that a structure would fail due to bad foundation and bad materials but if you go there now the foundation pillars are still very intact. My position is that the building weakened from the top,' Iguniewei insisted.

When asked what would be seen as the evidence in the aftermath of an infrasonic attack on a building, the witness said there would be no material evidence because the radiation neither generates heat nor results in burning or charring.

He had said, 'The bomb expert who is looking for chemical residue will not see anything like a by-product and of course there is no charring because all that the radiation does is to cause a vibration of the atoms from their position resulting in the emission of electrons.'

Komolafe had then asked Iguniewei, who claimed to have adopted the Synagogue incident as his academic project, to furnish the court with papers.

Further hearing has been adjourned till Wednesday April 29, 2015. Punch