By Ibrahim Salaudeen, Lagos
Representatives of the Deeper Life Bible Church and officials of the Surulere Local Government have begun reconciliation meeting to amicably resolve all issues arising from the unlawful demolition of the church building in Surulere area of Lagos State by the council.
The Daily Crucible reports that the local government had on May 26, 2025, demolished the church’s building on 36, Aina Street, Lawanson, Surulere, Lagos despite a subsisting court order restraining it from embarking on such action, a development that elicited wild outrage from the body of Christ and some members of the public.
However, in an apparent retracing of steps, the local government’s Chairman, Mr. Sulaiman Bamidele Yusuf’s office, hosted a meeting between the council and the Deeper Life Church leaders in his office on June 18, ostensibly to find a peaceful resolution to the case occasioned by the demolition of the said church’s building on 36, Aina Street, Lawanson, Surulere, Lagos.
According to Pastor Alfred Ogene, the leader of the Deeper Life’s delegation, who spoke after the meeting, the discussion was productive, and the council chairman has promised to confer with relevant officials and get back to the church with proposals for peaceful settlement.
“The position of the church on the matter is for the local government, as a matter of urgent need, to find an alternative in the meantime for members to worship pending the outcome of the case in court,” Oghene said.
Taiwo Kupolati, SAN, a legal adviser to the church, described the meeting as a constructive step toward restoring justice and peace. “The meeting was a process of coming together to explore the opportunity to bring the whole matter to a peaceful end.”
An official of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Christian Nwogu, who attended the meeting, expressed solidarity with the Deeper Life Bible Church, stating that the association identifies with the church in its quest for justice.
“We believe that an injustice done to one is an injustice done to all. The government must stop the persecution of the church and submit to legal proceedings of the matter,” Anyanwu said.
This incident, which an earlier statement issued by the church’s legal representatives, Nojim Tairu & Co., described as “an alarming pattern of hostility”, and part of a larger pattern of alleged government aggression against the church in Lagos. Other instances include the demolition of the Deeper Life’s church facilities at Yaba by LAMATA in June 2021 and the church’s Olorunishola Church in Ayobo by the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) in July 2024.
Before the meeting, the church had obtained a court order restoring the property to it pending the determination of the matter. The presiding judge, Justice E. O. Ashade, also ordered the council chairman and other management staff to appear in court to show cause why they should not be committed for contempt.
The church remains determined to pursue the matter to its logical conclusion. The spokesperson for the church expressed confidence that the court will uphold the rule of law and protect their rights.
