A serious legal crisis is brewing between Bishop David Oyedepo, controversial General Overseer of the Living Faith Church, better known as Winners Chapel, and the Ogun State Government, following a physical assault by the Bishop’s boys on some government officials who visited a school owned by the clergyman over tax issues.
The Ogun State Government is currently fuming and has threatened to take appropriate actions against the church owner whose, school, the Kingdom Heritage Nursery School, has allegedly evaded tax for about six years now.
According to the government, its officials visited the school located within the church headquarters in Ota, Ogun State, to effect the payment of the tax but staff of the school beat up the officials and locked them up for three hours. They were reportedly rescued by the Divisional Police Officer of the Onipanu Police Station in Ota.
A video footage presented to journalists by the Ogun State Government as evidence showed the officials being assaulted and detained within the school by the school officials.
Speaking about the incident, Chairman of the Ogun State Internal Revenue Service, Jide Odubanjo said his officials were at the school as part of their statutory functions, such as accessing and inspecting financial records of the school as they do with other businesses in the state. He said the tax officials had written several times to the church but the refusal of the church to act favourably left the officials with no choice but to visit the school physically only for them to be manhandled and locked up.
He said an officer of the Ogun State Internal Revenue Service is currently hospitalised in Ilaro while others who sustained minor injuries have been treated and discharged. He also alleged that a number of assets belonging to the state government were damaged beyond repair by the school staff.
Odubanjo, who addressed journalists in company with some commissioners in the State, said the government had lodged a complaint at the police station.
He added that the government would take appropriate steps to ensure that justice is done and that its agents are not handled unlawfully in the course of their official responsibilities.
“We condemn in the strongest terms any act of violence perpetrated against officers in the discharge of their legitimate duties,” he said.
“It is shocking and disheartening to see uniformed officers of OGIRS being violently assaulted. We view it as the height of irresponsibility and lawlessness for any person or group of persons to assault government officials who are performing their lawful duties.”
The church is yet to react to the allegation.
