Security agencies intervene in Ejigbo land dispute as Baptist Mission faces encroachment

The Directorate of State Security Service (DSS) and the Nigerian Police Force have stepped in to prevent potential communal crisis in Ejigbo, Osun State, following an escalating land dispute involving the Ejigbo Baptist Mission and the Lawal Obelawo family.

The controversy centres on an 85-acre parcel of land at Oke Moyo Area, on Ede Road, Ejigbo, which has been the subject of a bitter ownership dispute, which dates back to 2022.

The situation reached a flashpoint at the weekend when bulldozers allegedly sent by Chief Obelawo attempted to clear portions of the Baptist Mission property, prompting church members and community leaders to mount resistance.

● Royal intervention confirms Church ownership

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In a decisive intervention, the Ogiyan of Ejigbo, Oba Omowonuola Oyeyode Oyesosin II, issued a public notice affirming the Baptist Mission’s rightful ownership of the disputed land.

The traditional ruler’s statement, backed by palace archives and oral traditions, said that his predecessor, Oba Oyedemi Bello, who reigned from 1916 to 1940, had gifted the land to the Ejigbo Baptist Mission free of charge around 1936.

“The property was given for the purpose of Mission, Evangelism and Community development,” Oba Oyesosin stated in his official declaration.

“The late Surveyor S.A. Pitan surveyed the property for the Mission on the 8th day of July 1946 during the reign of His Royal Majesty, Oba Oyetunde Mogbesola II, who reigned between 1940 and 1971.”

The monarch emphasised that as long as the Baptist Mission continued to use the property for its intended purpose, he had “no reason whatsoever to revoke the ownership,” affirming that “Ejigbo Baptist Mission remains the legal owner of the property in perpetuity.”

● Weekend confrontation sparks crisis

The dispute escalated dramatically over the weekend when armed thugs brought a bulldozer to clear the land.

According to Rev. Joshua Atoyeje of the Baptist Mission in Ejigbo District, the invaders last Saturday allegedly representing Chief Obelawo arrived at the venue with a bulldozer to clear bushes on the Baptist property where Ejigbo Baptist High School, EBHS, stands.

“We approached them to stop but they refused, claiming that they were from Chief Obelawo,” Rev. Atoyeje recounted.

When the church representatives reported the incident to the police, they were allegedly told to “go to the court that land issue is not within their purview.”

Fearing nighttime encroachment, church members organised surveillance of the property, maintaining watch until 11:30 PM and engaging local hunters to patrol the site overnight.

The confrontation resumed on Sunday morning when the bulldozers returned around 9:00 AM. This time, church members mobilized en masse, with “member churches, Youths, Deacons and Pastors” leaving their Sunday services to resist the encroachment. The intervention successfully forced the bulldozer operators to leave the site.

● Community mobilization and legal action

The crisis has galvanized the Baptist community and alumni networks.

Chief Tayo Adebowale, National President of the Ejigbo Baptist High School Old Students Association, was reportedly present during Sunday’s confrontation, physically joining efforts to remove the bulldozer operators.

The churches have established a seven-member committee to coordinate their response and have mandated their lawyers to file petitions with Zone 11 police headquarters in Osogbo while seeking court injunctions. Diaspora members have also contacted the DSS office in Ejigbo, with Rev. Atoyeje leading the team for mediation meetings.

● Historic Baptist legacy at Stake

The dispute threatens a significant piece of Ejigbo’s educational and religious heritage. The Baptist presence in Ejigbo dates back generations, with five historic Baptist churches – collectively known as IBUBA (an acronym for churches at Idi-Ape, Balogun, Union, Beulah, and Aiyegbogbo) – playing a crucial role in the community’s
development.

In 1962, these five churches pooled resources to establish Ejigbo Baptist High School, which became “one of the top ten in the Western region in discipline, academic curricula and sports.” The school attracted students from Lagos, northern Nigeria, and the former Mid-Western region, cementing its reputation as a premier educational institution.

The Baptist Mission’s contribution to community development extends beyond education, with the churches historically operating primary schools that admitted children of all creeds as part of the Universal Primary Education program of the Action Group political party.

● Security response and ongoing tensions

With the DSS and police now involved, security agencies are working to prevent the land dispute from escalating into a broader communal crisis. The churches have arranged for local hunters and town guards to patrol the disputed site nightly while pursuing legal remedies.

The intervention comes at a time when land disputes across Nigeria have increasingly led to communal violence, making the peaceful resolution of the Ejigbo situation a priority for authorities.

As the matter heads to court, the Baptist Mission community remains determined to protect what they consider not just their legal property, but a cornerstone of Ejigbo’s educational and spiritual heritage that has served the community for nearly nine decades.