SYNAGOGUE: LASUTH CONCLUDES COLLECTION OF DNA SAMPLES

The Chief Medical Director of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Prof. Adewale Oke yesterday said it had concluded the collection of DNA samples for identification of 115 victims of the collapsed building at the Synagogue Church of All Nations, SCOAN, in Ikotun area of Lagos.According to Oke, at least 100 samples of relatives of victims have been collected for free DNA testing at its department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine.

Oke who explained that 80 per cent of those who died in the Synagogue tragedy were South Africans said the Lagos State Government has made arrangement for the samples of their families to be collected in their country. In his words, “There is a limit to what I can tell you. The DNA is being done free not in Nigeria. Dana crash DNA testing was not done here but in the UK because we are just beginning to build capacity for it and it is going to take some time.

‘’But because 80 per cent of the victims were South Africans, for us to take specimen, we have to bring at least two relatives from South Africa to Nigeria. So the State decided to select a Laboratory in South Africa that is equally competent to do the DNA so that 80 per cent of the relations who are South Africans can have their specimen taken.You have to fly them to Nigeria and fly them back to South Africa, you house them and then you do the test. Their Nigerian counterpart specimens have been taken and the same specimens have been taken to South Africa.”

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About Unknown

Deji Sadiq, a.k.a DEJI OF LAGOS is a LASU trained Economist turned freelance journalist, a Blogger, an information strategist, a public affairs analyst and a committed activist with a passion for equal opportunities.