Oritsejafor drags Fashola to court over plans to demolish his Lagos church

The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has instituted a law suit against Lagos state Governor, Babatunde Fashola over the state government's plan to demolish the Lagos branch of his church, Word of Life Bible Church, situated on Plot 21E, Abdulrahman Okene Close, off Ligali Ayorinde Street Victoria Island Annex. 

 

In the suit filed before Justice Deborah Oluwayemi of a Lagos High Court, Tafawa Balewa Square, Pastor Ayo and the Incorporated Trustees of his church asked the court for an order of interlocutory injunction, restraining the state government from demolishing, destroying, dispossessing or forcibly ejecting the church from the property. 

According to court papers obtained by The Nation, Pastor Ayo alleged that after applying for a building plan approval from the state government and it was not forth coming within the regular period, he made due enquires personally by writing several letters and holding meetings with the former and present governors, Bola Tinubu and Fashola respectively but his efforts yielded no results. 

 

He stated in the court papers that in March 2013, he received a letter from the state government, directing him and his church board to submit some certain documents to facilitate the process of the approval of the building plan which him and his board complied with. He said while him and his church board was still awaiting the building plan approval in order to continue with their church building, they suddenly discovered that the state government had pasted a certain contravention notice dated January 20 on its fence.

He prayed the court to halt any planned action by the state government to demolish or eject them from their property. 

Joined as co-defendants in the suit ‎are the Lagos state Attorney General, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Lagos state Building Control Agency, Lagos State Physical Planning permit Authority and Lagos State Task force on Environmental Sanitation.

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