How “Guards” Placed by NBC President Were Caught Stealing, Using New Glory Baptist Church as Hideout

What began as a forced lockdown of New Glory Baptist Church has now spiralled into scandal and shame. On Friday morning, residents of the Ojokondo area in Agbowo, Ibadan, discovered that the very “guards” deployed under the authority of the Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC) President, Rev’d Dr. Israel Akanji, had turned the house of God into a den of thieves.

The church, formerly known as Ajegunle Baptist Church, has remained under lock and key since November 17, 2024, not by the will of its congregation but through what members have consistently described as unlawful interference by the Convention President in the internal affairs of the church. Acting on his directive, thugs were stationed to “protect” the premises, a decision the congregation has since challenged at the High Court in Ibadan, where the lawsuit is still ongoing.

However, the so-called security arrangement quickly degenerated into betrayal. Instead of safeguarding the sanctuary, the guards looted neighbouring homes and even nearby churches, using the locked building as a warehouse for stolen goods. Plasma televisions, standing fans, and other items were recovered when the operation was exposed.

Eyewitnesses identified two men, Mr. Akin Ajagbe, a University of Ibadan security officer, and Mr. Bukola Olalude, a UI driver, as the handlers of the hoodlums stationed at the church. Members of New Glory Baptist Church confirmed they were directly responsible for coordinating the criminal activities. The culprits were reportedly caught after moving stolen items from another church into the New Glory Baptist Church building. Mr. Ajagbe, Mr. Olalude, and the thieves later escaped to an unknown location.

For Agbowo residents, the scandal was more than theft, it was a desecration of the sacred. The very men commissioned to guard the church had reduced it to what Scripture warns against: “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13).

Members of the public are reminded that New Glory Baptist Church has always been a peace-loving congregation and never engaged in lawlessness to justify the Convention’s heavy-handed closure. They caution against believing propaganda or falsehoods about the crisis.

Ultimately, this shameful episode proves one thing: “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light” (Luke 8:17). The Church of God will march on, and as Christ declared, “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).