Lagos State Government demolishes N100m Church in Epe

Officials of the Lagos State Government have demolished a certain ‘Pure Fire Miracles Ministries International’ (PFMI) church located at Afero village on Lekki-Epe Expressway.

The church was having its annual convention with over 10, 000 worshippers from 12 foreign countries in attendance when the officials stormed the building.

The bulldozers from the taskforce moved in immediately and three of the buildings were brought down before the traditional ruler of Epe, Oba Kamorudeen Ishola Animashaun, Chairman of Epe Local Government and other prominent citizens in the community intervened to stop the exercise.

It was gathered that men of the Lagos Task Force, accompanied by officials from the Ministry for Physical Planning and Urban Development (MPPUD), carried out the demolition over allegation that there was no approval for the erection of the building.

The church structures, worth over N100 million, were erected on a 10-acre of land. The structures comprise six auditoriums, offices, residential buildings and buildings for other purpose.

According to the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Toyin Ayinde, “there was no approval for the church building and notices had been served to the church asking them to vacate the land, because the land fell within the proposed Lekki International Airport”

The church however disputed the claims by the government that it had no approval. A document from the legal adviser to the church’s pastor, Enoch Idowu Aminu, Messrs Ibrahim A. Shittu and Co., of Probono Chamber, showed that the land was purchased from Ikujenya Okanlawon Ikuforiji Chieftaincy Family, with the address at 3, Ikujenya Street, Bado Oke, Epe, Lagos State, on 21 May, 2010.

The purchase, according to the cleric, was carried out as a result of the information contained in the Lagos State of Nigeria Official Gazette, No. 29, Volume No 27, September 1, 1994.

This was confirmed in the official receipt of payment, dated 23 November, 2011, in the sum of N1.64 million. The church claimed that the government lied by saying that the property fell within the proposed airport as other buildings in the same vicinity were not demolished.