Lagos seals church over noise complaints

Sealed All Christians Gathering Ministry. CREDIT: Tokunbo Wahab | X

Lagos State environmental officials on Sunday sealed a church, The All Christians Gathering Ministry in Surulere, following repeated complaints of late-night noise pollution that disrupted residents’ sleep.

The church, located at No. 1, Ishola Street, off Clegg, Surulere, was shut down after an investigation confirmed it violated environmental regulations and constituted a nuisance,

The state Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, announced the action.

“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 said in a statement on X.

“Consequently, the church… was sealed this morning and will remain shut until further notice.”

He added: “We will not tolerate environmental violations or any form of nuisance that disrupts the peace and well-being of residents. All religious institutions, businesses and other establishments are required to comply strictly with environmental regulations. Our enforcement actions will remain firm and decisive. No individual or institution is above the law.”

The sealing followed a public appeal by an X user, DAVERY (@BigDavery), in the early hours of Saturday.

In an X post tagged to the commissioner and accompanied by videos of the noise, he wrote, “Dear @tokunbo_wahab, It’s 1:31 a.m., and I can’t sleep. They’ve started again. I’m trying not to put the address out for Security reasons but I can provide necessary details in a chat, call or email when you give me a go ahead. It’s getting louder and I think it’s deliberate.”

In earlier posts, the resident described previous incidents, including confronting a church member who allegedly threatened that “God was going to take my life,” and noted the impact on neighbours, including a household with a child under one year old.

He also complained of having to shut windows in the heat without power for a fan.

The action forms part of Lagos State’s ongoing crackdown on noise pollution, enforced by the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency.

Permissible noise levels in residential areas are set at 55 decibels during the day and 45 decibels at night under state environmental laws.

In recent months, LASEPA has sealed several churches, hotels, lounges and other businesses across the state for similar breaches, often after failed compliance notices or memoranda of understanding requiring soundproofing and restricted night-time activities.