Ilorin — SOME Muslim youths in Ajegunle community, Ilorin last Friday attacked and stopped on-going building construction by the Living Faith Church a.k.a Winners Chapel and destroyed property worth N50million.

The grouse of the Muslim youths was the land in dispute located in old Jebba road, Sango in the metropolis which was owned by the defunct Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) and was later bought by the church.

The church has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar and the State Security Service (SSS) to intervene on the matter.

In their petition signed by the Resident Pastor ,Sango branch of Living Faith Church, Chris Osiberu said: "On behalf of the leadership of the church of which Sango church is a branch, the church hereby complains of the reckless disregard for law and order and wanton destruction of the properties on its site at Sango Ilorin by the Muslim youth and Ajegunle community along old Jebba road.

"On the 23rd of March, 2012, after the Jumaat prayers, the youths of the Ajegunle Moseque came en-mass to the church site on their large number destroyed the church wall fence and demolished totally the building materials that were on site. They the people they met working on the site and stole two laptop computers, and carted away with the tools of the people working on the site.

"This act of the Ajegunle Muslim youth was carried out in total disregard to the laws and the government institutions who had been mediating between the church and the youth for several months. At the last of such mediatory meeting with the acting police commissioner of the state, representatives of the Muslim community in Sango signed an undertaking of good behaviour and to be held responsible and accountable for any breach of the peace arising from any actions they took.

"We ,therefore, want the law to take its proper course of bringing to book, prosecute and punish whoever took the law into their hands to trespass on our land and destroyed our property."

Pastor Osiberu claimed that the church had met with the recommendations of the Kwara state Town Planning and Development Authority (KSTPDA) before the commencement of construction.

In a letter entitled "report of the complaint by the Muslim community against Winners' chapel, Sango area, Ilorin," one B. A Yusuf of the town planning authority said "sequel to the complaint brought to the authority by Muslim community Sango, on the proposed building opposite their mosque claiming that the activities of the church will be in conflict with their own.

"A five man team from the town planning visited the site to confirm the veracity or otherwise of the complaint. Later the technical committee, the executive secretary of the authority and the state director of the SSS jointly inspected the site towards resolving the issue.

"The committee therefore recommended that the church should erect a shopping complex in the frontal part of the land to shield its activities away from the muslim community; the proposed church should also face the existing road at the rear end."

The resident pastor said that the church had complied totally wit the recommendations.

When contacted the state chair, Inter-Religious Committee Alhaji, Muhammed Koro said that "we have procedure of doing our job. If there is anything like that, we either receive a letter of complaint and we visit the place.

"I am not in Ilorin now and I am only one person out of the 18 people, if there is problem, we either go there to look at it or the people when they write, we go there and see what is there. If they write on time, we are sitting on Thursday, anything that is very urgent, we usually meet urgently, let the church write to the council because we are going to meet on Thursday, if they write on time, we take the complaint to the people and get their own reaction. That is the procedure."

Kulende Divisional Police Officer ('E' Division), Sango area, Abdullahi Aminu confirmed the incident.

He said that "I took them to police headquarters, Unfortunately when the CP intervened, he said they should be patient till Monday but before that Monday, unfortunately, the youths went ahead and carried out the nefarious activities.

"The church have complained and we have taken it to the Commissioner of Police and Abuja and where are expecting what will be their reactions. The CP will give us order because the church had written."