Deeper Life Church: We're Set To Reclaim Our Land Earmarked For Anchor University In Ogun

How We Rightfully Acquired Land For Anchor University In Ogun – Deeper Life Church

The Church says it has exhausted patience in waiting for trespassers to peacefully vacate the property, and is now ready to forcefully evict them through appropriate law enforcement procedure.
1 year ago
5 mins read

Deeper Life Bible Church says it’s set to repossess its parcel of land located in Maba Town, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State. The land was earmarked for the construction of  Anchor University but has been occupied illegally by some individuals.

The Church said that it proposed to situate the University on a 40-hectare part of the vast expanse of land, it rightfully acquired in Maba Town, but has been unable to do so for years because trespassers had taken over a major part of it.
Recently, it made a move to evict the illegal residents, who reacted by protesting and claiming that they were being dispossessed of their property by the Church.

At a press conference on Sunday, 5th February 2023, the chairman of Land and Building Committee of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor Alfred Ogene, told journalists that the church, as a humanitarian organisation, has over the years shown understanding with illegal occupants of the property with the hope that they would peacefully vacate, but it appears that they have remained adamant; hence, the resolve to evict them.

The cleric lamented that the tussle had delayed the beginning of construction of the University, which the Church as the progenitor secured the license in 2016 from the National Universities Commission (NUC).

The university was founded in 2014 but got NUC approval in 2016. It took off in a temporal campus at the International Bible Training Centre (IBTC), Ayobo-Ipaja, Lagos. Last year, the institution had its first graduation ceremony for the 2021 and 2022 sets.

To Prove that the Church remains the rightful owner of the vast expanse of land where the permanent campus of the University is to be built, Pastor Ogene gave an account of how the religious organisation had gone to file a suit at the Ogun State High Court in 2008 and secured judgement in its favour in 2016.

Justice Abiodun A. Akinyemi of the Ogun State High Court, on 15th July 2016 ruled that the Church is the rightful owner of the land.

Among other reliefs granted, the judge ruled that “an Order of Perpetual injunction is hereby granted restraining the defendants, their agents, servants and/or privies, from committing any further acts of trespass on the Claimant’s land verged green in Survey Plan No. OG/1114/2012/01/20, dated 27th of November, 2012, drawn by Surveyor S. O. AJIBOYE.”

Pastor Ogene further stated that the Court consequently issued a Warrant of Possession to the Claimant (the Church) on 8th May 2017 and also a Writ of Possession served on all structures on the encroached portion of the land on 9th January 2018.

“This, in the eye of the Law, meant the return of the land to its rightful owner. And the Anchor University Campus Project could have started immediately then,” Ogene explained.

However, the representatives of the trespassers, filed a suit on 16th February 2018, (a month after the Writ of Possession was served) to challenge the High Court judgement. This according to Ogene, kept the project on hold for the court to give its ruling on the suit.

The judgement delivered on 7th September 2018, again was in favour of the Church as “the Court dismissed the Application as lacking in merit, upheld the 2016 Ruling and re-affirmed DLBC as the authentic, bonafide and undisputed owner of the entire land in question,”. Ogene narrated.

He said the Church went further to seek an Order of Demolition which was granted in a ruling of the Court on 4th April 2022. This “means to physically take over the land by forcefully ejecting all encroachers and trespassers, including destroying all unwanted structures on the land, with the police providing security during the take-over to prevent the breakdown of law and order,” Ogene said.

He said the order was communicated to all parties including the Ogun State Police Command.

“The Legal Representatives of the Judgment Creditor also, via a letter addressed to the State High Court Registrar on June 20th, 2022, asked for the presence of the Deputy Sheriff or his representatives during the execution of the Order of Demolition granted in the ruling of the Court as delivered on 4th April 2022.

“We are also aware that the Inspector General of Police had on June 21st, 2022 directed the Ogun State Police Command in a letter with Reference No. CB:3594/IGP.SEC/ABJ/VOL.9/28 to provide all necessary support to the Judgment Creditor in the take-over bid.

He said that despite having all the legal requirements to pull down all illegal structures on the property since June 2022, it still gave the trespassers ample time to voluntarily vacate.

“As of today, there is no dispute on the land because the last appeal on the matter of ownership was filed and disposed of in the church’s favour in 2017. In judgments delivered by competent courts of the land in 2016, 2017 and even 2022, the rights of the church as the sole owner of the land have been affirmed, recognised and unequivocally pronounced.

“As far back as 2018, the church had secured the Certificate of Occupancy on the land and has been discharging its financial obligations to the state government as spelt out in the C of O.

“But, because of the kingdom attuned nature of our organisation, we have had to embrace a more conciliatory and pedestrian approach in driving off the illegal occupants on the land, even though the Court had given us the Order of Demolition to do so.

“Today, however, the church can no longer afford delays in repossessing the land because the project for which it was meant now needs it urgently.

“All the projects of the church for which the lands were foresightedly acquired are now at a stage that informs our need to repossess immediately. We have exhausted our patience and there is no time to waste again. So, we have resolved to move men and equipment to the sites to commence work. All structures or objects that have not been removed by their owners will not be spared.

“I wish to state clearly that The Deeper Life Bible Church is now totally ready to repossess all the encroached portions of its land in Maba Town because the time has come to use it for the original aim which is the construction of the permanent campus of Anchor University on the more than 40-hectare parcel of land earmarked for the project as submitted in our document to the NUC. Other projects earmarked for other parts of the vast land are also billed to begin at the turn of the approaching New Year.”

The Church appealed to owners of illegal structures on the land to remove them immediately as failure to do so could lead to their demolition.

“I would like to close this address by restating our warning for all trespassers to vacate the land and clear their illegal structures immediately or risk having them demolished.

“For emphasis’ sake, the general public should please note that we have exhausted our patience and there is no time to waste again. We are moving men and equipment to the affected sites to commence demolition work. All structures or objects that have not been removed by their owners will be cleared off the land,” Pastor Ogene concluded.

Also speaking at the briefing, a Legal Officer in the Legal Unit of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Nojim Tairu, said the trespassers risk going to jail for hindering the execution of the Court judgement which affirmed the Church’s ownership of the property.

Tairu said what the trespassers are doing amounts to impunity as their actions have no legal basis.

He said the trespassers “have nothing on the line. Truth is if they are aggrieved by the move towards execution, the expectation is that they would have gone to court or they would file some papers, but nothing like that is forthcoming. That shows the veracity of Anchor University’s position.” Tairu stated.

The legal expert emphasised that NUC granted the licence for the establishment of Anchor University on the basis of the land rightfully acquired by the Church and cannot afford to lose it on account of illegal occupants. 

The Land and Building Committee of the Church thereafter, made available to journalists, copies of all documents pertaining to the land dispute including the July 2016 court judgement, Warrant of Possession, Writ of Possession, the Demolition Order, Certificate of Occupancy of the land, survey plan among others, to further clear the air on its acquisition of the matter.

Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.


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