What were the reports before you as the head of this community concerning Reverend King's activities?
The residents association and landlords association in Ajao Estate have for long been reporting the man called Kingsley but popularly referred to as Dr. King, owner of CPA Church in the estate. I had called him on many occasions, whenever I got any report about him. But he always declined to come.

At a point, other landlords who have prop­erties along his street found it difficult to even come around or pass there. They were forced to vacate the place. He (Reverend King) eventually bought those properties from these landlords. I called him again but he declined. He has some boys which I described as thugs to terrorise peo­ple. In fact, I believe CPA is not a church.

There are many Churches in this estate. Even, we have Hare Krishna in this estate. I have never heard any negative report from any other church except CPA. King's gang has terrorised residents almost on daily basis. At a point, some people came to tell me that King's gang forced them to bow because they must not see their God (King): How many God do we then have? I called him again, he refused to come not even sending any emis­sary. I then asked police from Ajao Estate to visit the place to ascertain the true position of things.

The reports were unfavourably. I think the police officers that visited the place were beaten up.' Thus it got to a stage that no police officer would want to go with you to the place. We went ahead to report him at Zone D (Onikan), even at Panti. The response we got was that King said he has no case with the police. He said that he's Jesus of this world.

What were the allegations?
One of the worst cases reported to me was the beating of a woman who was selling food in the estate. I was told that the woman was beaten up seriously, and stripped. And there was nobody to rescue her. I was told that nobody there moved near the place. However, nobody could ascertain whether the woman survived or died. People who went to work along that street were often beaten-up after the dose of their daily activities.

When it went beyond what I could handle, I told the police. But I thank God that King's exposure was engendered by his untoward activities on his fellow Igbo person. If it were a Yoruba per­son, it would have resulted in another bloody ethnic clash. I told all the Yoruba people not to get involved in the matter. That's how I saved the situation. However, I must say that even some Igbo people came here to report King. Those who left the Church came to tell us their experience. One of them told us that King seized his five children and took over his wife. The man also told us that he owes him N2million.

Another woman who took her husband to the church said she lost her husband and she's no longer going, to the church. She told us that she was beaten up and stripped.

Apart from reporting to the police, what other steps did you and other landlords take?
When the landlords and residents held a meet­ing, they sent to me some people to lay their complaints. I told them I had tried my best. But they told me that they would want to write a petition to Zone 2, Panti, and the Inspector General of Police because they could no longer tolerate what King was doing. I then told them to write and have it endorsed among themselves and I would counter-sign.

But there are claims that he actually made the area habitable?
There is no truth in such claim. He is a tenant just like other tenants that bought lands around the area. Before his arrival, people had been developing their properties. He met people on ground. The land was sold to him by another per­son who bought the place from my family. The place was sold to him without our knowledge.

We called him to come and do ratification at our family level, he refused to come. We wouldn't want people to take law into their hands. That's why we call on government to take over the land. My family is not asking for the land again. But the government should take it over and make use of it for the purpose of community development.

Are you saying you will not allow him to live here again?
I expect government to get him land in another place. He can't live with us here again. Not at all. The government will do us a lot of good if he is taken to another place. No one can be greater than his community. The people here have said he cannot live here again. I cannot live with him. I believe that King was probably sent away from somewhere, and it is time for him to leave our community too.

But in line with the tenets of democracy, don't you think it will be difficult for government to confiscate his properties?
Whatever direction we look at the matter, the whole matter is in the hands of government. But we hope that our local government, Lagos State government and the Federal Government will do something significantly to assist us. My family is not seeking to reclaim the land he is presently occupying. But we want him to leave because we can no longer live with him.