Justice Oyebisi Folayemi Omoleye, a presiding judge of the Court of Appeal has issued an official statement to address the reports containing video and photos showing where she allegedly slapped and confronted a Redeemed church pastor over noise pollution in Ondo State.

Speaking through her lawyer, Okedinachi Nelson, Esq, the judge in an official statement said, ‘a member of the RCCG Glory Tabernacle Church, IjapoEstate, Akure assaulted a sitting justice of the court of Appeal Akure division on Wednesday, 5th of June, 2019‘.

The statement reads in full,

In the past 48 hours the social media has been awash with the fake and concocted story of how Honourable Justice O.F. Omoleye, J.C.A. purportedly invaded the Redeemed Christian Church of Glory Tabernacles, Ijapo Estate, Akure on the 5th of June, 2019 during a church Service.

The fake news further stated that the Honourable Justice attacked an aged woman who fainted and was rushed to the hospital for treatment. Nothing can be farther than the truth. The church in question is illegally built on a canal right beside the residence of the Honourable Justice where she has been living since 1984 before the foundation of the church was laid.

Ever since the emergence of the said Redeemed Church in Ijapo Estate, which is largely a residential estate, it has constituted unabated nuisance to the annoyance of the entire neighbourhood. The honourable Justice through her solicitors in a letter dated 22nd of May, 2019 and addressed to the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, complained about the noise and environmental nuisance constituted by the church.

The said letter unequivocally stated that such noise amounted to a breach of the honourable Justice’s right to quiet possession/ enjoyment of her property. The said judge, who is a widow of almost 30 years, has had continued engagements with the church (which is situated on an illegally acquired plot beside her property) in relation to the constant disturbance of peace both during the daytime and at nighttime every day of the week.

Despite various attempts to mediate peace terms with the church, the church failed severally to keep its side of agreements made. The Justice’s lawyer informed the church of the court action initiated against them on the public disturbance issue, and hence the church Pastorate and Members have been jittery.

In response to the her Lordship’s Solicitors letter, Pastor Dele Oyesola, Pastor-in-Charge of the RCCG, Ondo Province wrote a letter delivered on 6th of June, 2019 at the office of His Lordship’s Solicitors requested for date, time and venue for a meeting between the Church and the said Solicitors in respect of the acts of nuisance complained of. It is pertinent to note that in the letter written on behalf of the church, no reference was made to any of the allegations contained in the fake news being circulated by the church.

On the day in question, the Honourable Justice intended to have a peaceful stay at home but the usual nuisance and uncontrolled noise from the church would not allow her. On the instruction of her lawyer and in furtherance of her intention to gather evidence to present to Pastor Dele Oyesola, Pastor-in-Charge of the RCCG, Ondo Province at the meeting he proposed, the Honourable Justice, decided to take pictures of wares displayed for sale along and on her property , suddenly, one of the church members attacked her from behind, punched her and broke her phone. It took the intervention of her orderly to prevent them from injuring her. The other members came out in their troops cursing her and threatening to attack her.

It is unfortunate that a renowned church like the RCCG would go to extent to sponsor fake news against a sitting Justice of the Court of Appeal who has done nothing wrong but to ask that she be allowed to live in peace. We are all not oblivious of the nuisance that churches and other places of worship constitute in residential areas.

This fake story gained traction simply because the church is all out to harass and bully her. Rather than continue in this campaign of calumny against her, the RCCG should purge itself of the unabated nuisance particularly because the entire Ijapo Estate residents are tired.

Signed

Okedinachi Nelson, Esq

Mild drama ensued at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, the Glory Tabernacle parish, at Ijapo Estate in Akure, Ondo State capital, when one Justice Oyebisi Folayemi Omoleye, a presiding judge of the Court of Appeal, confronted the church’s parishioner over its noisy religious activities.

According to a report by Saharareporters, Justice Omoleye, wielding a stick in her hand, invaded the RCCG Church, in company of her security guard and allegedly assaulted some of its worshipers on Wednesday and Felix Solomon, a pastor in the parish, Felicia Akindurojoye, an assistant pastor and some others were reportedly injured by Justice Omoleye during the attack.

The incident happened during the church’s weekly programme called the Divine Encounter. Explaining what happened, an eyewitness said the judge dashed into the church’s building and began to film the congregation’s activities.

The source said,

“This woman (Justice Omoleye) entered into the church alongside her security guard and she began to record a video of the worshipers with her mobile phone. Immediately, one of the presiding pastors saw her and went to inquire why was she filming congregational worshipers in the church. But she replied that she was on the church premises to record the activites of the worshipers as they always disturbed her peace. I noticed that the pastor was really not comfortable with her action but gave her the go-ahead to record the programme since it is a church.

“But as a result of her action, many of the worshipers who attended the programme could not concentrate. And all of us was wondering what she was up to with the filming as she was busy recording our faces with her mobile phone. Just imagine, this woman stayed in the church and waited from 10 am when the programme started till 12 noon and busy filming the activity.

“She waited until the church was about to end its programme and again started to record the worshipers who were coming out of the church. The woman intentionally disrupted the church’s programme because she complained too much that we disturbed her peace with activities of the church.”

According to the source, one of the pastors challenged Justice Omoleye when she discovered that the judge was recording the church’s activities on her mobile phone.

“The Assistant Pastor, Akindunjoye, who is 68 years old was coming out of the church covering her face with her bag and asked the judge why she was recording her face and the people in the House of God. But she replied that she had recorded everybody because the church is a fake one while those worshiping in the place are all evil people. Later, she attacked our pastor and slapped her repeatedly on her face and the pastor fell on the floor with blood gushing out of her mouth. We had to rush her to a hospital,” he disclosed.

One of the heads of the church, Olatunde Awoyelu, who also confirmed the incident. Awoyelu, who doubled as the administrative officer of the church, accused the judge of intimidating the church because of her status.

He explained that Justice Omoleye had complained about the disturbance caused by the church during its weekly programme and had attempted in the past to have the church relocated.

Awoyelu said,

“It is true, the woman came into the church today and started filming with her mobile phone all those in the congregation who were worshiping. “We did allow her to film because this is a House of God but she began to act unseemly at the end of the programme. Some of our church members had to challenge her on the reason why she had to start filming their faces again even after the programme. Instead, she armed herself with a big stick, chasing and attacking people in the church.

The Ondo State Police Command said it could not comment on the issue as it had received no report regarding the incident.