Popular Lagos church sealed over noise complaint

The church, located at No. 1, Ishola Street, off Clegg, was shut on Sunday morning, November 8, barely two days after the resident began publicly appealing for government intervention.

Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, confirmed the development in a statement on X, saying an investigation established that the church had violated environmental regulations.

“Following a complaint by @BigDavery regarding noise pollution from a church, our officials conducted an investigation and confirmed that the church was in violation of environmental regulations and constituted a nuisance to residents in the area,” Wahab stated.

He said the church would remain sealed until further notice.

The enforcement followed a series of complaints by an X user identified as DAVERY, who described his frustration over noise from the church during the early hours of the morning.

At about 1:31am on Saturday, November 7, the resident appealed directly to Wahab, explaining that the disturbance had made sleep impossible.

“Dear @tokunbo_wahab, It’s 1:31am and I can’t sleep. They’ve started again,” he wrote.

The resident said he was initially reluctant to disclose the church’s address publicly for security reasons but was willing to provide the necessary information privately.

In an earlier post on November 6, he alleged that someone he confronted over the noise threatened him after he announced his intention to report the disturbance.

According to him, the individual warned that God would take his life.

The resident also complained that the persistent noise had forced him to keep his windows closed despite the heat and the absence of electricity to power a fan.

He drew attention to other affected households, including a co-tenant whose child was less than a year old.

“I have a co-tenant downstairs whose child is barely a year old. Na inside this noise dem train that pikin,” he wrote.

Following the complaints, environmental enforcement officials investigated the church and subsequently sealed the premises.

Wahab warned that the government would not tolerate activities that disturb the peace and well-being of residents, regardless of whether those responsible are religious organisations or commercial establishments.

“All religious institutions, businesses and other establishments are required to comply strictly with environmental regulations,” he stated.

The commissioner maintained that enforcement would remain firm, stressing that no individual or institution was above the law.