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Lagos State government has been urged to urgently intervene over the attack and vandalism visited on Holy Trinity Church, Ikoyi, Lagos by mob.
In a statement made available to BusinessDay John Delano, resident pastor of Holy Trinity Church, appealed to the state government to restore their presence in the church premises located at Oba Oyekan Avenue, Ikoyi which has been taken over by the instigator of the attack.
Narrating the incident which according to him took place on January 26, 2022, Delano said: “On that day, a mob of ‘area boys’ arrived with a bulldozer and proceeded to remove the entire front-facing fence of the property where the church is located including gates. They also uprooted three massive trees without approval. “At the time of the attack, there was a pastor present on the property and he was slapped, threatened and physically assaulted. In addition to this, one of the security personnel hired to guard the property was beaten to within inches of his life whilst some of the thugs picked up boulders and were about to kill him.
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“The premises located at 2, Oba Oyekan Avenue, Ikoyi were then taken over by the instigator of the attack, who claimed he is the new land-owner and has come to occupy his property. No prior notice of this invasion was given to the church, its leadership or any of the members.”
Explaining further, the resident pastor revealed that the church paid for their lease on the land and that their payment covers a period till November 2022, which he said was yet to expire.
In addition, he said: “Sources revealed that the police have been somewhat reluctant to act on the matter and one high-ranking police officer claimed that Ikoyi was rife with land-grabbing cases and that his hands are tied. The issue has received attention of the police and also in court.’’
