From Oluseye Ojo
The Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC) has won a case instituted against it over the derobing of 10 pastors.
The victory came when the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan dismissed a lawsuit filed by Emmanuel Oyewole Oyekan and four others, challenging the authority of the NBC and its leadership on the issue.
Seyon Idowu Koshoedo, Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the NBC, in a statement on Saturday, expressed satisfaction with the ruling.
“All controversies over Ajegunle Baptist Church have been resolved in favour of the Nigerian Baptist Convention,” he stated.
The ruling, delivered by Justice O.A. Adetujoye, quashed the plaintiffs’ claims regarding the derobing of Oyekan and nine other pastors, as well as the disfellowshipping of Ajegunle Baptist Church.
The suit, marked I/710/2024 and lodged in June 2024, contested disciplinary actions outlined in a letter from the Convention dated Monday, June 10.
Following the suit, members of Ajegunle Baptist Church and six pastors from affiliated congregations publicly distanced themselves from the plaintiffs, who had established a new church – New Glory Baptist Church.
This led to the Convention revising its decisions concerning the six pastors and the church.
The plaintiffs faced a legal challenge from the Convention’s representatives, who argued that the group had lost its standing in the case due to their breakaway status, having registered as a separate entity with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
The court heard arguments on the preliminary objection in March 2025 and delivered a judgement in favour of the NBC on Thursday, June 19.