Church worries about influx of miscreants on premises

A Pentecostal church, The Gospel Faith Mission International, has raised the alarm over the influx of miscreants to its premises at Ojoo, Ibadan, Oyo State.

The church said the ugly development began on May 14, 2013 when members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers were displaced from their park on Ibadan-Ilorin Expressway as a result of the ongoing rehabilitation of the road.

It said as the displaced drivers did not have where to go, they forcibly moved into its premises and started operating from there without recourse to the church.

Public Relations Officer, GOFAMINT, Pastor Taiwo Holo, told PUNCH Metro that since they took over their premises, miscreants had turned the place into their den.

Holo said, “They came with caterpillar, destroyed the church gate, the premises fence and  beat up staff of GOFAMINT, in the church and on the premises, who dared question their impunity.

“They freely used charms and intimidated our people. After this, the NURTW leaders moved in and occupied our premises by force. Incidentally, the local government in charge of the area is looking the other way.”

Holo said the church, which had enviable worship centre with over 10,000 worshippers, a national secretariat building, press and nursery/primary school, among others, had become messy with miscreants smoking Indian Hemp openly and doing untoward things.

He said the trespassers had successfully been intimidating their members, an action which he said, had allegedly led to a reduction in worshippers.

He said if not that the church authorities had been cautioning their youths against reprisals, there would have been a backlash against the miscreants.

The pastor said, “As a church of God with respect for the rule of law, natural justice, equity and good conscience, we state that we have almost exhausted our patience in this matter.

“We cannot afford to continue to fold our arms and see our lives and property being threatened daily by the acts of the miscreants such as daily smoking of Indian hemp, unruly behaviour, exposure of little children in our nursery/primary school to danger, messing up the church premises with faeces, blockage of the church entrance, drunkenness, noise pollution, among others.”

He said the situation had led to drastic reduction in the church attendance; fall in the nursery/primary school attendance; insecurity of our lives and business transactions and environmental porosity

He said touts had converted the nursery/primary school to their hideout where they perpetrate all manner of crimes.

He said, “It is obvious that these acts are meant to foment violence and religious crises in an erstwhile peaceful environment.

“We urge the relevant authorities to speedily intervene in this situation for the leadership of the church may not be able to continue to suppress its youths from exercising their right to secure access to their place of worship, either day or night.”