From Taiwo Oluwadare, Ibadan
The Federal High Court in Ibadan has taken decisive action by ordering an accelerated hearing in a lawsuit brought forward by the Incorporated Trustee of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Nigeria, regarding an internal leadership conflict within the church.
The lawsuit targets certain church members who have been accused of falsely presenting themselves as CAC officials and operating a church account with First Bank Orita-Challenge branch, bearing the account number 2006350017.
The respondents named in the suit include Pastor Henry Ojo, Pastor J.D. Onagiwa, Pastor Emmanuel Aladesaiye, Pastor S.O. Ogundare, Pastor A.O. Akande, and First Bank Plc.
During the court proceedings, Justice Ekerete Akpan, after rejecting the plaintiff’s motion to restrain the respondents from accessing the church account, ordered an expedited hearing of the case. Akpan justified his decision by stating that granting the motion at this stage would delve into the substantive suit and lack merit. Consequently, the court scheduled the case for further proceedings on May 22, and also directed First Bank Plc to be duly notified of the hearing date.