Oshiomhole accuses Anglican Church of stealing government land

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has accused the St. Andrews Anglican Church, Ekpoma for encroaching on government land by erecting a church building and a high wall to fence off the Ukpughele Primary School in the community.

Our Benin City Correspondent reports that the Governor accused the Anglican Communion, and otherChurch leaders of breaching the law of the land.

He said: “The Church operates on the basis of rules and regulations and I think the Anglican Church is an organized church, governed by rules and procedures, nobody can just go and set up an Anglican Church without permission from appropriate authority. By the same logic, Edo State is governed by Law, and there is a government, a government that is accountable, that is the trustee of the people including the Christians and the Children. Now the Laws are clear. You do not erect anything without previous authorization. You are obliged by Law to design and present your document to the Ministry of Land, Survey, Housing and urban development for clearance; whether the land belongs to you or not.”

Governor Oshiomhole maintained that the leadership of the church in Ekpoma acted in error for erecting a fence and another new structure on government school land without clearance.

He dismissed the argument by Most Rev. Dr. Friday Imaekhai that the school belong to the church and that the church property were destroyed by the school children.

According to Oshiomhole, the state government had in the 70s taken over Mission schools and that the said land on which the church erected a new building and a perimeter fence is government land.

The Comrade governor said the perimeter fence by the church was erected in such a way that it will deny the students and teachers access to their school through the access gate, wondering if the Church expected the pupils to jump over the fence to access their school.

He immediately ordered that all documents relating to the new building should be submitted to the officials of the State Ministry of Land, Survey, Housing and Urban development for necessary verification.

Addressing the Governor, the Archbishop of Anglican Communion, Bendel Province, Most Rev. Imaekhai admitted that the school was a mission school taken over by government in the seventies.

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