By Nnamdi Ojiego
THE peaceful atmosphere long enjoyed by the residents of Orile-Coker and environs in Ifelodun Local Government Development Area, LCDA, of Lagos State is presently under serious threat and may take a turn for the worse unless relevant authorities wade into a land dispute between the Christian Pentecostal Mission, CPM, Iganmu branch and the Ifelodun LCDA.

The disputed land, on which the church building stands, is located few metres away from Coker Bus-stop along the Badagry Expressway, Orile.

According to Vanguard Metro, VM, findings, the land was originally owned by the Ojora family who the church and other parties in the dispute claimed to have bought it from.

However, the land became a subject of controversy after different people began to lay claim to its ownership. The story was to take another twist in 2011 when the Ifelodun LCDA came to take possession of the land.

However, angered by what it termed encroachment on its property, the leadership and members of CPM staged a peaceful protest to draw the attention of concerned authorities to the illegal possession of their property by the council.

They carried placards with various inscriptions some of which read: “This land has been purchased and duly paid by CPM, Iganmu branch”, “CPM Iganmu branch bought this land from Ijora family”, and “Nobody fights God and wins”, among others.

Speaking shortly after the protest, the head pastor of the church, Vitus Olumba admitted that the church is in serious dispute with the Ifelodun council and explained how it all started, and the efforts the church was making to ensure that the issue is resolved amicably.

He also disclosed that the land was not a personal property of an individual but was acquired through financial contributions from church members. According to him, the church bought the said land fom the Ojora family in 1994 with documents duly signed by the family.

Placard carrying CPM members protesting the take over of their church premises by Ifelodun LCDA

“But shortly after we occupied this land, we had visits at different times by some people who came to lay claim to it. However, at every occasion, we would take their claims to Ojora who had maintained that he has not resold the land. At the end, we always discover their claims to be false,” he stated.

Problem with LCDA
Pastor Olumba explained that in December 2011, officials of Ifelodun LCDA stormed the church without any prior notice and forcefully took possession of the land by clearing and sand-filling it. “When we approached them, they said they will write us but up until now, we haven’t heard from them. Instead, what we saw was the council officials bringing in developers here. We tried approaching them but they rebuffed all our efforts,” he said.

Invasion of thugs and policemen
The clergyman accused the LCDA of bringing in armed thugs and policemen in order to prevent them from gaining access and taking possession of their property. “However, it is not as if we are afraid of policemen or thugs but because we are Christians, we don’t want to generate a riot within this area. So we decided to handle the matter peacefully. However, all efforts to resolve things peacefully with them has been to no avail,” he informed.

Going to court
The Pastor said when all their attempts to get the attention of the local council failed, they had no option than to go to court. “Because we don’t want to fight or create a riot in this area, we decided to take the matter to court to stop the council from encroaching on our property. “We obtained a court order restraining them from trespassing on our property and the order was duly served them. But they didn’t obey the injunction”.

Solicit state govt intervention
The church has therefore called on Governor Babatunde Fashola to intervene in the case by compelling the Ifelodun LCDA to stop trespassing on their property. “We don’t want a breakdown of law and order in this community; that is why we are begging Governor Fashola to intervene in this matter,” Pastor Olumba said.

Ifelodun LCDA reacts
Reacting through its counsel, Babatunde Kehinde, Ifelodun LCDA denied being served any injunction by the court. “The court only served us a paper  with suit No M/28/2012 and we have five days to file our own reactions,” he said.

The council also claimed that the said land belongs to it. “The land belongs to the council. The then Western Region of Nigeria in 1958 with gazette No 28, Vol. 7, dated 21st of April 1958 had acquired it. It was about 500 acres then. The land was then known as the Olaniyonu Market, a part of which the church sits today. The market was established by Jakande’s administration in 1980 and with a survey plan,” it stated.

Ojora family’s Stand
Meanwhile, the Ojora family has refuted the statement by the Ifelodun council that the land belonged to the council.
The family spoke through its representative, Mr Onisemo Ninkaila, who stated that there was no time the land was given to or taken by the government, maintaining that the land was legally sold to the church and cautioned trespassers to steer clear.

Onisemo noted that when the matter was reported by the church, the family invited the two parties to a meeting with a view to resolving the problem amicably but the officials of the LCDA refused to show  up.