Oyo court dismisses case against Nigerian Baptist Convention

By Adejayan Gbenga –

The Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Emmanuel Oyewole Oyekan and four others challenging the authority of the Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC) over the derobing of 10 pastors.

The ruling, delivered by Justice O.A. Adetujoye, upheld the Convention’s decision, quashing the plaintiffs’ claims regarding the removal of Oyekan and nine other pastors, as well as the disfellowshipping of Ajegunle Baptist Church.

This development was announced in a statement issued on Saturday by Seyon Idowu Koshoedo, Secretary of the NBC Board of Trustees, who expressed satisfaction with the court’s verdict. “All controversies over Ajegunle Baptist Church have been resolved in favour of the Nigerian Baptist Convention,” he stated.

The suit, marked I/710/2024 and filed in June 2024, had challenged disciplinary actions outlined in a letter from the Convention dated June 10, 2024.

In response to the suit, members of Ajegunle Baptist Church and six pastors from affiliated congregations disassociated themselves from the plaintiffs, who had gone on to establish a new church named New Glory Baptist Church.

Subsequently, the Convention revised its earlier decision concerning the six pastors and the affiliated church.

During the legal proceedings, the NBC argued that the plaintiffs no longer had standing in the case, having registered their new church with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), thus operating outside the Convention’s jurisdiction.

The court heard arguments on the NBC’s preliminary objection in March 2025 and ruled in favour of the Convention on Thursday, June 19.