A High Court six in Bauchi State has dismissed the N50 million suit filed by a Customs Officer, Kayode Akinagba Joseph, against Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), No 15, Guru Road, Bauchi.
The plaintiff had filled a wit of summon on July 29, 2015, claiming that the church allegedly trespassed on his land located at Birshi Gandu, Dass Road, Bauchi State, claiming N50 million as damages.
In the suit, Kayode claimed that the second and third defendants, Pastors Aikulola D. Oyewunmi and Kunle Idowu Ajayi, had approached him last year to sell some portions of his land at Birshi Gandu to the RCCG, the first defendant .
“Agreements were written and signed for the transactions between the Plaintiff and one Dr. E. A. Adeboye for and on behalf of the first defendant”.
He alleged that the defendants encroached on the land without his permission.
In his ruling last Friday, the Presiding Judge, Justice Gurama Mohammed Mahmood, said, “from the disclosure by evidence parties and witnesses, the action of the first and second defendants does not amount to trespass for it to give the plaintiff a course of action against the defendant.
“The whole issue is hereby resolved in favor of the defendant in consequence whereof the suit of the plaintiff is therefore dismissed for lacking merit,” Gurama said.
Speaking with newsmen after the judgement, counsel to the defendant, Aniekan Mendie, expressed satisfaction with the ruling, saying it was not just a victory for the church but a victory that shows that God is superior to man.
Maiden said, “I feel delighted winning that case and the whole wining is not something I give credit to myself, but to the Almighty God because I was representing the church of God in that case so I want to believe that there prayers worked wonders to enable us win that case.
“As a church of God we will also embrace peace and we yielded towards peaceful settlement and that to be done out of court too but the plaintiff was at the point of even informing the court that settlement has broken down and we had no other option than to defend the case and we defended it successfully.