General Overseer Of The Lord's Chosen Church, Pastor Lazarus Muoka, Battles Ex-Member Over Properties

A businessman, named, Uba Emmanuel
Abraham, is entangled in a legal battle with a
popular Lagos-based cleric, Pastor Lazarus
Muoka of the Lord’s Chosen Church Inc., over
some properties at Jakande Estate, Lagos State
and Independence Layout Enugu, Enugu State.
According to Punch Newspaper, Abraham, who
accused the Lagos-based popular pastor of
falsifying the documents of his (Abraham’s)
independence Layout property at Enugu, Enugu
State, in favour of his church, also alleged
threats to his life.
But Muoka, through his lawyer, Mr, Obioma Oti,
said Abraham had been paid for both properties.
Abraham, who hails from Aboh Mbaise Local
Government Area of Imo State, said he joined
Muoka’s church in 2005 on his late mother’s
advice after he returned from Japan.
He said his travail began when he decided to
leave Muoka's church, and he asked Muoka's
Lords Chosen Church congregation to vacate his
(Abraham's) No. 2 Lemon Street house at Phase
II, Lagos.
It was against this background, according to
Abraham, that Muoka allegedly connived with
one Ikedi Igbokwe, whom the pastor introduced
to Abraham’s family as a house boy to give his
property’s documents to Muoka, while he was
away in Japan in 2009.
According to Abraham, on his return to the
country he had demanded for his property's
documents from Muoka.
Abraham further alleged that Muoka, through
Oti, denied knowledge and receipt of the
documents but requested for N1m to search for
them. Abraham claimed he refused to give any
money but headed for the court where he swore
to an affidavit for the lost documents to
authenticate the ownership of his property.
Abraham also claimed that Mouka falsified and
registered his (Abraham’s) Independence Layout,
Enugu property, with the Enugu State Ministry of
Lands in favour of his church after the March
2011 tsunami, thinking he (Abraham) had died in
the disaster.
''But when I came back from Japan and tried
to survey and register the property, the fraud
was discovered. Confident that the property
belongs to me and in a bid to get those behind
the fraud, I fenced the property and built a
bungalow on it and nobody came out to lay
claims to the land.'' Abraham added.
He added that after his relocation to Lagos, the
property was pulled down by some youths
allegedly sent by Muoka.
Abraham said, ''I invited the police, who arrested
the suspects. They confessed they were
sponsored by Muoka. The matter had since been
taken to court.''
He noted that he had been under threats from
Muoka and his agents since 2011.
''Sometimes, they would call me for
negotiation and then send attackers after me.
My life is in danger.'' He said.
Abraham’s counsel, Mr. Benjamin Nduka,
accused the Lord’s Chosen Church of trying to
avoid appearing in court as neither the church
nor her counsel had appeared in court for the
two cases.
Nduka said since the church was duly served
the court summons, he would approach the
court with a motion to compel it to appear in
court, the only institution with the capacity to
adjudicate on such matters.
The Divisional Crime Officer at the Independent
Layout Police Station Enugu, Mr. Igbochi Igbo, in
a text message referred our correspondent to
the DPO.
When contacted, one of Muoka’s pastors in
Lagos, Francis Eze, said he did not know
anything about the said property in Enugu.
Speaking for Muoka, Oti, said Abraham was paid
N2m for the half plot in Jakande Estate, Lagos.
He also claimed that Abraham was paid N1.7m
for the plot at Enugu eight years ago when there
was no form of property development around
the area.
He said, ''We fenced the two pieces of land in
Lagos and Enugu, but to our greatest dismay,
Uba (Abraham) went and demolished the fence
at the Independence Layout.
''We reported the matter to the police and that
is why the police are looking for him.''
Oti said Abraham was trying to drag the image
of the church in the mud.
He said the church never mandated Abraham to
sell his landed property to them, but that
Abraham disposed the land when his business in
Japan crumbled. Oti said the matter was in
court and that he would not like to discuss it in
depth.