PRESS STATEMENT 

Dear Brethren and Joint-heirs with Christ, greetings to you all in the most precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our attention as a church of God has been drawn to the falsehoods and/or wrong information that has been in circulation since yesterday June 19, 2025. It was clearly mentioned in that misleading publication that the High Court sitting in Ibadan has quashed the lawsuit filed by our pastor, Rev. Dr Emmanuel O. Oyekan, against Rev.  Dr Israel Akanji and that the court has given an order to the Convention to retrieve our church properties in possession of Rev. Dr E.O. Oyekan.

In the first instance, it’s common knowledge that no church pastor, Rev. Dr E. O. Oyekan inclusive, in the Nigerian Baptist Convention owns or holds any of the church properties. Besides, the case being referred to by peddlers of fake news is not a personal matter between our pastor, Rev. Dr E. O. Oyekan or New Glory Baptist Church against Ajegunle Baptist Church (the former name of our church). The lawsuit is strictly between the leadership of New Glory Baptist Church against Rev. Dr Israel Adelani Akanji, the Convention President.

It’s worthy of note that the leadership of our church had filed a lawsuit in June last year in the High Court, Ring-Road, Ibadan, to challenge the illegality of the unpopular and personal decision taken by Rev. Israel Akanji  to  disfellowship our church from the Nigerian Baptist Convention and disrobe all our pastors. This lawsuit is still pending in the Court and it has nothing to do with the properties of the church – as those crafty and shameless individuals, who have willingly surrendered themselves as instruments to the devil, are trying to paint the picture in order to mislead and/or misinform the general public.

It is also very important to let all the children of God know that all the cases between the leadership of the church and the Convention President are still in courts.

Dear people of God, when truth is conspicuously muffled or actively hidden, a vacuum where lies can flourish unchallenged is created. Therefore, we are using this opportunity to advise the general public, especially the Nigerian Baptist Convention family, to disregard the wrong information circulating in the social media. These are all lies from the pits of hell! It should be borne in mind that Satan, the master of the purveyors of these falsehoods, does not abide in the truth, because there is no truth in him. He is a liar, and the father of all lies (John 8:44).

At this juncture, it’s very important to recall that Rev. Akanji and his foot soldiers are infamous peddlers of wrong information and distortionists of plain truth/facts. Just last week, June 9, 2025 precisely, Rev. Akanji went on air to lie (in his media chat televised live by the New Frontiers TV Station) that New Glory Baptist Church filed a lawsuit against his predecessor, Rev. Dr ’Supo Ayokunle, before he came on board. Meanwhile, it was the former Convention President who filed a case against our church and our pastor.Rev. Ayokunle later filed a Notice of Discontinuance concerning that case when he could not substantiate his false allegations against the church and Rev. Dr E. O. Oyekan. The court did not allow him to go scot-free for crying wolf when there was none, he was made to pay a cost of N300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira) to the church (soft copy of the certified true copy of that judgment is hereby attached).

Going by this undeniable fact, it’s very convenient to conclude that any information emanating from Rev. Israel Akanji and his mercenaries should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Finally dear Brethren, as we posited earlier, the persecution against our church and our pastors by Rev. Israel Akanji and his conspirators are all works of darkness to distract people of New Glory Baptist Church from focusing on the great commission as committed to all believers by our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28 vs 19 & 20). We are not ignorant of the schemes of the devil and his human agents, targeted towards striking the shepherd so that the flock can scatter. Thus, we beseech you, by the mercy of God, to continue praying along with us. As our God lives and His spirit lives, the gates of hell shall never prevail against the church of God. Amen!

Thank you.

Read also: Ibadan Baptist Church Raises Alarm Over Convention President’s Role in Prolonged Conflict