Akanji

Oyo judge dismisses case against Nigerian Baptist Convention

by Church Times

A judge of the Oyo State High Court, Hon Justice O.A. Adetujoye has dismissed the suit filed by one Emmanuel Oyewole Oyekan and four others against the Nigerian Baptist Convention and the Convention President, Rev. Dr Israel Adelani Akanji.

A statement by the Secretary, Board of Trustees of Nigerian Baptist Convention, Seyon Idowu Koshoedo, Esq., informed that the case with Suit No. I/710/2024 was filed by Rev. Dr E. O. Oyekan, Rev. Dr C. D. Oluwabukola, Deacon I. O. Akanmu, Mrs B. D. Oyewole and Sister Olajoke Akinyemi, for themselves and on behalf of members of Ajegunle Baptist Church (New Glory Chapel, Agbowo, Ibadan) as claimants; against the Registered Trustees of Nigerian Baptist Convention and Rev. Dr Israel Adelani Akanji.

The case was instituted at the Ibadan Judicial Division of the Oyo State High Court of Justice in June 2024. The claimants according to the statement were challenging the de-robing of Emmanuel Oyewole Oyekan and nine other pastors of the church and the disfellowshipping of Ajegunle Baptist Church by the Convention through the letter written by the Convention President dated June 10, 2024.

The case which was reportedly heard at Court 11 of the High Court Complex, Ring Road, Ibadan however .stuffed a hitch when members of Ajegunle Baptist Church who had refused to identify with the name “New Glory Baptist Church” and six pastors who are pastors in daughter-churches of Ajegunle Baptist Church wrote to disassociate themselves from the court action of the claimants who are leaders of “New Glory Baptist Church”, a parallel group within the church.

Consequently, the decisions over Ajegunle Baptist Church and those six pastors were rescinded by the Convention.

Besides the statement of defence filed by the Convention’s lawyers, the law firm of Chief Adeniyi Akintola, SAN & Co., a preliminary objection was also filed on behalf of the defendants, challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the case.

The main ground for the objection was that the claimants are not known members of the Convention, particularly in view of the fact that New Glory Baptist Church had registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission as a separate legal entity. It was submitted that the claimants therefore lacked the locus standi to institute the court action.

The claimants responded to the defendants’ preliminary objection and the lawyers on both sides argued for and against the preliminary objection on March 18, 2025

The court made its ruling on June 19, dismissing the case of the claimants based on the March 18 preliminary objection.

The statement then noted that all the controversies over Ajegunle Baptist Church have thus been resolved in favour of the Nigerian Baptist Convention.

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