Tension has heightened along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway over a disputed 3.5-acre parcel of land claimed by both the General Overseer of Faith and Miracle International Church (FMIC), Pastor Gbenga Faith David, and the founder and spiritual head of One Love Family, Satguru Maharaj Ji.

The dispute has already led to the arrest of five persons by the Oyo State Police Command.

The land, said to be worth millions of naira, is located along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and is claimed by Maharaj Ji as part of his spiritual community, which he refers to as the Holy Land.

Addressing journalists at a press conference in Ibadan, David accused members of the One Love Family of attacking his church members shortly after a crusade held on the disputed property.

He said the crusade, tagged “Possessing the Gate,” was organised to assert the church’s presence on the land, which he maintained was legally acquired by the church.

David said: “We have both the Deed of Conveyance and Certificate of Occupancy as proof. After the crusade, our members were attacked by a set of people who are said to be members of the sect.

“We were made to know that the land belongs to Maharaj Ji, not the church, in spite of all the evidence.”

He alleged that some of the church members were injured during the attack and subsequently hospitalised at different hospitals in Ibadan.

According to him, the church had resisted the temptation to take the law into its own hands and instead staged a peaceful protest at the Oyo State Police Command headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, where he said the authorities promised to intervene.

David also dismissed an allegation by Maharaj Ji that the crusade was part of a plot to kill him, saying he was unfamiliar with the historical reference to ‘Operation Wetie’ allegedly used by the spiritual leader.

“Maharaj Ji even alleged that we plotted to kill him and labelled our crusade as Operation Wetie. I don’t know anything about Operation Wetie.

“I was not even born then. How can a mortal being threaten to kill a self-acclaimed God on earth?” he asked.

David appealed to Maharaj Ji, whom he described as an elderly man, to allow peace to prevail, stressing that the church’s presence in the area should not be interpreted as a threat to his community.

He also urged security agencies to intervene swiftly to prevent the dispute from escalating into a religious crisis in Oyo State.

However, Maharaj Ji rejected the church’s account, accusing its members of trespassing on the Holy Land and describing them as illegal occupants.

In a statement, he said five of his security personnel were arrested after they attempted to stop the church members from entering the spiritual community.

According to him, the church members gained access to the Maharaj Ji community through an area he identified as part of the Holy Land instead of using the entrance to their own premises.

Maharaj Ji, who said he was not present when the incident occurred, added that he received reports from his security personnel about an altercation involving the church members.

He said the church members claimed they wanted to cut trees in the area, prompting the security personnel to question their presence and direct them to use their own access route.

He alleged that the church members refused to leave, resulting in a confrontation with the security personnel.

Maharaj Ji said his men attempted to raise the alarm and resolve the matter peacefully before the police arrived and arrested five of them.

He identified the arrested persons as Ogochukwu Ogonna, Chijoke Orji, Osike Itabalume, Ugonna Chukwu and Elue Mazi.

According to him, the men were initially taken to the Tollgate Police Station before the case was transferred to the Eleyele Police Command.

“These are people doing security service here, and so we ask for their release,” he said, appealing to the authorities to intervene.

He maintained that the disputed area was part of the spiritual community and that visitors and outsiders were expected to observe its access protocols.

He also accused the church of using the police to intimidate members of his community, alleging that similar tactics had been used in previous land-related disputes.

“This is the usual demonic game of the land grabbers, always using the police to suppress and terrorise us in the past and (they have) failed,” he said.

Maharaj Ji urged the police and other relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the arrests and ensure that the dispute was handled in accordance with the law.

He also appealed to David to pursue peaceful and lawful means of resolving the disagreement, warning against further escalation and possible loss of lives. (The Guardian)