Uproar in Surulere as LG bulldozers flatten Deeper Life Church in defiance of Court Order

The Deeper Life Bible Church, located at 36 Aina Street, Lawanson, Surulere, Lagos, has raised a thunderous alarm after its premises were allegedly demolished by the Surulere Local Government in brazen defiance of a standing court injunction.

Describing the act as nothing short of sacrilege and lawlessness, the church’s District Pastor, Israel Adeagbo, called on the Christian community, civil rights groups, and legal practitioners to rise in protest against what he termed “a shameful abuse of power and a direct assault on justice.”

“This is not just about a church building,” Pastor Adeagbo declared emotionally. “It is an open attack on the rule of law and a slap in the face of Nigeria’s judiciary. If they can demolish a church with a valid court order, no one is safe.”

The church, which has stood peacefully at its location since 2007, found itself at the centre of a storm in January 2024 when the Surulere Local Government allegedly unveiled a controversial plan to demolish the church property to pave way for a shopping complex, a move that triggered immediate legal resistance.

Armed with a restraining court order under Suit No. YSD/4860LM/24, the church believed it had secured temporary reprieve.

But in a dramatic twist, the local authorities allegedly stormed the premises with bulldozers and hired thugs on May 26, 2024, a day before a scheduled resolution meeting and reduced the church’s perimeter fence to rubble.

Even more shocking was a second, more aggressive demolition carried out on May 27, which completely flattened the church building allegedly in complete contempt of the existing court order.

“The courts affirmed again on May 27, 2025, that the land belongs to us and ordered the restoration of our property. Yet the local government continues to occupy the land by force,” Pastor Adeagbo lamented, his voice thick with disbelief.

Church members have called the move a “state-sponsored invasion of sacred ground” and a “reckless desecration of faith.”

The church said it possessed all valid documents confirming its legal ownership of the property and insisted the demolition was not only unjustified but an outright violation of constitutional rights.

“We call on every person of conscience, regardless of religious belief, to see this for what it is — a dangerous precedent that threatens justice and sanctity alike,” Pastor Adeagbo said.

As tensions rise, the Surulere Local Government is yet to publicly respond, even as pressure mounts from legal, religious, and civil society quarters demanding accountability and swift restitution.