The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) has sealed the Cherubim and Seraphim King of Kings Church located at No. 24, Georgius Cole Street, Ifako-Ijaye, for repeated violation of noise pollution regulations.
The closure was executed on the directive of the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, after the church was found to have breached multiple peace agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) signed with the environmental agency in 2017 and 2023 to minimise noise during services.
Wahab issued a stern warning to religious organisations, as well as entertainment and hospitality businesses, urging them to strictly comply with the state’s noise regulations and respect the rights of residents to a peaceful environment.
READ ALSO: Cholera alert: Lagos sensitises vendors, waste workers
Tunde Ajayi, LASEPA’s General Manager, explained that the church was operating illegally within a residential estate and had violated every agreement, including those updated in 2025, put in place to protect the health of neighbours.
Ajayi recounted that following initial complaints from residents in 2017, the church signed an MOU agreeing to several conditions.
The conditions include adequate enclosure and soundproofing of the church premises and night vigils to be limited to once a month without the use of musical instruments until soundproofing is complete.
Others are suspension of night vigils at the Mercy land (Ile-Anu) and restriction of all activities to the church auditorium, limiting the use of musical instruments to Sunday services only until the structure was soundproofed, maintaining the permissible noise limits for a residential environment: 55 dB during the day and 45 dB at night and maintaining good neighbourliness within the community.
However, the church was reported again in October 2023 for failing to adhere to the 2017 MOU.
Ajayi emphasised that while freedom of worship is guaranteed, no individual or organisation is permitted to infringe on the fundamental rights or negatively impact the health of others in the name of religious activities.
Despite repeated warnings and sensitisation programs for worship and hospitality centres, some organisations continue to ignore the approved standard noise limits.
READ ALSO: LASEPA, UNIDO, Japan launch $275,000 cholera prevention project in flood-prone Lagos communities
Ajayi warned that the state government is prepared to shut down and prosecute any organisation that violates the State Environmental Law 2018 (as amended).
He urged all residents and business owners to comply with government regulations, reaffirming LASEPA’s zero-tolerance policy against noise and other forms of pollution across the state.
