Court strikes out suit against Methodist Church in Taraba

The Upper Area Court 11 sitting in Jalingo on Tuesday struck out a suit instituted by the Global Methodist Church of Nigeria (GMCN) against the United Methodist Church of Nigeria (UMCN) over ownership of a church property in Jalingo, Taraba State.

The court also awarded a cost of one million naira against the plaintiff.

Presiding Judge Barkindo Idris Chiloma struck out the matter for lack of locus standi, jurisdiction, and as an abuse of court processes.

The court held that the subject matter, which relates to land in an urban area, falls outside its jurisdiction, and awarded costs of ₦1,000,000 against the plaintiff and in favour of the defendant.

Reacting to the judgment, Bishop Emmanuel Ande of the UMCN described it as a “victory for the return of peace in Taraba State.”

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“Today’s judgment is a victory for the return of peace in Taraba. It will restore peace between the two warring parties, the UMCN and GMCN. I call on members of GMCN to come to the dialogue table with UMCN rather than resorting to court.

“We have opened the long-closed Jatutu Memorial Cathedral where the reconciliation service will be held. We call on Tarabans to attend the UMCN reconciliation service scheduled for February 22, 2026,” Bishop Ande said.

However, the Global Methodist Church of Nigeria (GMCN) has rejected the decision of the lower court and vowed to seek redress at the Court of Appeal.

Rev. John Pena, the GMCN Bishop, while speaking during a press conference, said the church would appeal the judgment to seek further clarification.

The bishop, who was represented by the Conference Superintendent of the Southern Nigeria Annual Conference, Bazel Yoila, called on both the state and federal governments to be concerned about the injustice being meted out to GMCN.

He, however, urged members to remain calm as law-abiding citizens of Nigeria.