Local residents in Owode Local Government Area accuse Christ Embassy of illegally acquiring their land

RESIDENTS of the Aseese area in Obafemi/Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State are up in arms with the Believers’ Love World church popularly known as Christ Embassy over what they claim is the illegal acquisition of their land.

Local landlords and residents have accused representatives of the church of tricking them into entering into a one-sided agreement. They added that despite having a pact, the church has taken over their estate and built a gate at the entrance, which leads to its campground and has now acquired a certificate of residency behind their backs.

Apparently, after the alliance between the church and the residents of the estate was cemented, the Christ Embassy Unity Estate Community Development Association was registered and the church, with the support of the local residents, constructed a gate that served as an entrance to both the estate and the church's camp ground. However, the church’s representatives were said to have abandoned the association shortly after the construction of the gate.

Condemning the action of the church’s representatives, the residents said they were surprised that Christ Embassy claimed ownership of the entire community. Akin Olaoye, the chairman of the residents association, complained to the Ogun State Ministry of Urban and Regional Planning but was told that the church had obtained a Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) on the land.

Mr Olaoye said: “We were known as the Unity Estate before, but some years ago, Christ Embassy started using its campground and wanted to construct a gate at the entrance to our estate. Since the estate’s entrance was the only route to the campground, the church’s representatives proposed that we should form an association with it to enable it construct the gate to boost the security of the estate, so we agreed and formed the Christ Embassy Unity Estate Community Development Association.

“Immediately the construction of the gate was completed, Christ Embassy’s representatives withdrew from us and were no longer attending meetings. A reliable source told us that Christ Embassy has obtained a new C-of-O on the entire area, including our community.

“We became concerned when some officials of the Ogun State Ministry of Urban and Regional Planning accompanied the Christ Embassy representatives with armed policemen and the man who sold the land the church uses as its campground visited the community and started taking pictures of some parts of the estate without carrying us along. We have written to the church to find out what is happening but it has refused to answer us.

“When we visited the ministry of urban and regional planning’s office at Wawa, the official, who attended to us, confirmed that Christ Embassy had obtained a C-of-O on the land and that the ministry’s officials visited the community because the church said it wanted to clear the bush in the area. The church’s representatives were referring to our area as bush but the officials are familiar with the area and they visited to ascertain the true state.

 My argument is that there are some properties here that already have Cs-of-O, so how could the government issue a new C-of-O on plots of land with existing Cs-of-O? From what I know, a C-of-O has to be revoked for another one to be issued.”

Armstrong Oyakhilome, the project coordinator of Christ Embassy, said: “We are not the Ogun State Government, so I think the best institutions to answer you are the Ogun State town planning ministry and the Bureau of Lands and Survey. They will have the correct information but we have never terrorised any community and we have never held any meeting with them.

“We acquired that place since 2003. I am in charge of the church’s campground and I have never visited that estate, I don’t know where the estate is and I am not aware of any association.

"We don’t attend meetings with the members. In fact, they are the ones putting signboards there to legitimise their claims.

“I am the project coordinator and I am not aware of any registration with them. I don’t belong to that estate and I don’t know the residents. There is nothing like Christ Embassy Unity Estate, there is only Christ Embassy Crusade Ground, so, is anybody is operating illegally on the Christ Embassy Crusade Ground, the government will take action.”