There has been alot of tension as the Federal Government demolished 12 Lagos churches on alleged illegal plots on 2nd Avenue, FESTAC Town, Lagos State.
According to Pastor Joshua Obong, the leader of the Gate of Righteousness Evangelical International Church, he said;
“The officials first came last week and started marking our buildings. After they were done, they left and returned two days later. That was when they gave us a seven-day notice, which expired last Wednesday.
“On Sunday morning, around 5am, we suddenly saw bulldozers at the First Gate, FESTAC Town. They got to my church at exactly 11am; they demolished all the churches along the road, except the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Communion Chapel and CPM, which they spared. All other churches were brought down.”
He claimed that the government took advantage of the strike action by judicial workers, adding that nobody could approach the court for injunctions to stop the demolition.
“We wrote to them, seeking extension of time, but the letter was not even acknowledged,” he added.
Also speaking, Pastor William Ehiorenren, The Overseer of Christ Gospel Church International, said
“He promised that they would not touch any church till the lawyer returned. Our lawyer was still in Abuja when they came on Sunday, a day of service, and demolished our churches. The lawyer called all their staff members, but they switched off their phones.
“We heard that they want to re-allocate the land and sell to moneybags and make millions. I have not seen where seven days would be given for people to vacate their property.
“We have been in that area for years and we spent millions of naira in building our churches. They could not even give us time to move, because they had mapped out their evil plan to sell the land to people.”
He said his church usually paid tenancy rates to landlords, who he claimed had legal claims to the land.
