The Deeper Life Bible Church has commenced the enforcement of a judgment empowering it to take over land in the Maba Area on the Lagos Ibadan Expressway.

The judgment is on a suit numbered AB/251/2008, dated April 7, 2022, by an Ogun State High Court.

The case is between the Incorporated Trustees of the Deeper Life Church and M Alfred International Company and Unknown Persons.

The church, acting on the order, is taking possession through a bailiff and policemen, who pasted a court order on the fences.

The land borders Maba, Agbodi and Olowotedo towns.

But residents and other land owners, including a pastor serving with the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Johnson Adunbarin, accused those enforcing the judgment of highhandedness.

Adunbarin said they beat some occupants and commenced demolition of fences, and moved with five bulldozers to pull down houses in the area.

Adunbarin, who doubles as a Unity Estate Community Development Association (CDA) Chairman, and Kayo Ape, the Chairman of the Peace Estate Community Development Association (CDA), along with hundreds of community members, staged a protest against the church’s agents.

A police officer who led the operation said they were acting on a directive from the Commissioner of Police in Ogun State. 

He said it was in line with the order empowering the church to take possession.

Ape and Adunbarin said they were neither parties to the land dispute nor were they summoned during the hearing, especially since they bought their land from the Maba community.

Ape said: “Whereas Deeper Life bought their land from Olowotedo and Agodi communities, we bought ours from Maba, hence we have no business with Deeper Life.

“Besides, how could they brand occupants numbering over 200 houses as unknown persons?”

The placard-bearing residents said they never encroached on the land belonging to the church. 

They added that massive acres of land belonging to Deeper Life remained unoccupied.

The residents said the defendants were not represented in court.