The Living Faith Church (Winners' Chapel), Ilorin, Kwara State, has petitioned the Acting Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar and the State Security Service (SSS) over the alleged destruction of its property worth N50 million.

The property was on a land in dispute, located on the old Jebba Road, Sango, Ilorin. It was owned by the defunct Nigeria Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) and later bought by the church. 

Some Muslim youths and people in the Ajegunle community were alleged to have on Friday last week stopped construction on the site.

According to a letter signed by the Resident Pastor, Sango branch of the church, Chris Osiberu, "the Living Faith Church hereby complains of the reckless disregard for law and order and wanton destruction of the property on its site at Sango, Ilorin by some Muslim youths and members of the Ajegunle community.

"On March 23, after the Jumaat prayers, youths of the Ajegunle Mosque came en masse to the site, destroyed the fence and demolished the building under construction. They also damaged the materials. They attacked the people they met on the site and stole two laptops. They also stole the tools of the building engineers.

"This act was carried out in total disregard for the laws and the government institutions who have been mediating between the church and the youths for several months. At the last meeting with the acting police commissioner of the state, representatives of the Muslim community in Sango signed an undertaking to be of good behaviour and be held responsible for any breach of peace. 

"We therefore want anybody that has violated the laws to be punished."

Osiberu claimed that the church had met the recommendations of the Kwara State Town Planning and Development Authority (KSTPDA) before the start of the construction.

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

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

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

"The church has complained and we have taken the matter to the Commissioner of Police and the Police Headquarters in Abuja. We are expecting their reactions."