The Court of Appeal, Lagos Division has ordered the Registered Trustees of Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) to pay N5 million as damages for trespass on land owned by the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC). This means that the Appeal Court upheld an earlier judgement by a Lagos High Court.
It was gathered that the CCC had, through its representative, Joseph Ebhodaghe, sued DCLM over a disputed land measuring approximately 1055.864 square meters, situated at Mulero area of Agege and registered as No. 75 Volume 2004T at the Lagos State Land Registry, Ikeja.
At the High Court, Justice Candide-Johnson in a judgment delivered on January 17, 2014, declared Celestial Church as the rightful owner of the disputed land and awarded N5m as damages against Deeper Life.
The court also granted a perpetual injunction restraining DCLM, its agents or servants from further trespass on the disputed land.
But, DCLM dissatisfied with the ruling had approached the Appeal Court to challenge the judgement.
But, in a unanimous decision, the appellate court comprising Justice Chinwe Iyizoba (presiding), Justice Yargata Nimpar and Justice Abimbola Obaseki-Adejumo held that the appeal was unmeritorious and dismissed same accordingly.
In her lead judgment, Justice Abimbola Obaseki-Adejumo resolved all the six issues in contention in favour of the respondent.
Her Lordship observed that both parties traced their title ownership to the Olalabi-Sulu family.
