Bishop Oyedepo’s Winners Church Linked With Land Grabbing

MICHAEL AKINOLA

Bishop David Oyedepo of the  Living Faith Church Worldwide a.k.a Winners Chapel, has been linked with grabbing of 4O hectares of land and forcefully taking the land from their owners despite the judgement at the Ogun State High Court.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the Church led by Oyedepo allegedly invaded the land located at Osuke/Feru area of Ota in Ogun State through their agent with a Caterpillar and then arrested the owner, Azeez  Alagbe and detained him at the Police Station for obstructing them from taking over possession of the said land. 

The Church was said to have bought 80 hectares of land close to the said the land but while taking possession, they allegedly equally took possession of the disputed land, which led to litigation.

Alagbe and others got judgement on the said land on 30th January, 2019, by Justice N.I. Agbelu in suit number HCT/77/2011 filed on behalf of Jimoh Alayo Alagbe family.

The suit was filed against Board of Trustees of Living Faith Church Worldwide a.k.a Winners Chapel,  Worldwide Mission Agency Incorporated, Rev. Ezekiel Idowu, Alfa Dauda Agbabiaka, Balogun Olalude, Sogo Edible on behalf of Otapo family of Osuke village.

In the judgement, Justice N.I. Agbelu granted the reliefs sought by the claimant in the followings:
“In the net result, all the reliefs claimed by the claimant succeeded in its entirety, accordingly, judgement is hereby granted the claimants in the following terms:
“A declaration that the claimants are entitled to be deemed holders of Statutory right lying and being at Osuke village via Iyesi village, Ota in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government of Ogun State with Survey Plan, LDD/OGS/15/2009 dated 9th August, 2009.”

“A sum of N50,000 and N100,000 respectively as special damages for claimants crops and structure on the land in dispute and a sum of N200,000 on general damages.”

“A perpetual injunction against the defendants from further  act of trespass on the land in dispute either by themselves, servants, agents or privies.”

However, despite the Court judgement and executed on 8th October, 2020, Bishop Oyedepo still sent his land agent, a well known thug in Ota area, to still forceful take over the land from the owners.

One of the claimants in the suit, Azeez Ige Alagbe, challenged and stopped them from trespassing on the land. One Akin, on behalf of Bishop Oyedepo arrested Alagbe and detained him at Police Divisional headquarters at Obasanjo Farm junction, Ota.

The Investigating Police Officer, Mrs. Fapounda, refused to listen and insisted on detaining him only on condition that he will sign an undertaking not to go to the land again.

Our correspondent was unable to contact Oyedepo or the Church after several efforts to know why they wanted to take over the land despite the Court judgement. And no appeal was made on the judgement which was against the Church.