A Nigeria Customs Officer, Kayode Akinagba Joseph, has dragged the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) of No 15, Guru Road, Bauchi to court claiming N50 million for alleged trespassing on his land located at Birshi Gandu, Dass Road, Bauchi.
Joined as second defendants in the suit number BA/131/15 instituted at the High Court 8, Bauchi, is the RCCG, Shekina Area Parish, Federal Low Cost, Bauchi and the RCCG, House of Mercy Parish, Dass Road, Rafin Zurfi, Bauchi, as third defendant.
In a statement signed by the Plaintiff's counsel, A.S. Idris and Mrs. M.K. Musa for G. Hassan and Co Equity Chambers Bauchi, Kayode claimed that the second and third defendants, Pastors Aikulola D. Oyeyemi and Kunle Idowu Ajayi, approached him to sell some portions of his land to the RCCG.
According to the counsel, the first transaction for the sale of a portion of their client's plot of land was made on September 26, 2014, and the second was made January 2, 2015.
The counsel explained that "agreements were written and signed for the transactions between the Plaintiff and one Dr. E. A. Adeboye for and on behalf of the first defendant.
"The first defendant has now, without the plaintiff's consent, unlawfully encroached upon some parts of the land that was not sold to it and erected a church thereon, an act which the plaintiff sees as an attempt to unjustifiably usurp the encroached portion from him"
Kayode through his counsel claimed that on May 13, 2015, the second defendant Pastor Aikulola Adewumi, took some pastors who were unknown to him to his house without his consent saying the third defendant pastor Kunle Ajayi was part of the pastors that went to his house without his consent.
Kayode who said that the second and third defendants said that the reason they were at his house was to warn him to forgo the portion of the land encroached upon by the first defendant.
He said efforts to make the defendants leave the encroached land had failed as the RCCG had started using part of his land for church programmes while members of the RCCG always pass through the plaintiff's main gate to the church even when he openly told them to open up their entrance and fix their own gate.
The Plaintiff among others is asking the court for a declaration that the RCCG action amounts to trespass and direct it to adjust the structure of the church erected on his land.
He also wants the court to direct the defendants to pay N50 million for trespassing and another N450,000 for estimated cost of his action including lawyer's fees.
When the case was mentioned yesterday in court, counsel for the defendants Mr. Aniekan Mande, requested for an adjournment.
The presiding judge, Justice G.M. Mohammed, then adjourned the matter to October 12, 2015 for hearing.
SOURCE: thisdaylive.com
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