Osun Eid clash: Don’t turn our mosques to battlegrounds, S-West Muslim leader warns politicians
As a result of clash that ensued between some aides of Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State and former Senate spokesman, Ajibola Basiru, at the Osogbo Central Eid Ground on Wednesday, Muslim leaders in the South-West, yesterday, warned politicians not to bring politics into the mosque.
The two parties had, during the Eid-el-Kabir festival rite in Osogbo, clashed over seating arrangments inside the prayer ground, which resulted in the governor leaving the ground without observing the two raka’at prayers.
Speaking on behalf of Muslims in the region, the Wakeel Muslimeen, South West, Edo and Delta states, Sheikh Iskeel Awwal, condemned the incident, warning politicians against turning Eid prayer grounds and mosques into their political battleground.
Sheikh Awwal, in a statement, also urged the governor and other politicians in the state to respect religious leaders and place of worship.
It reads: “All Muslims in the South West condemn what happened in Osogbo. We condemn the clash at the Eid prayer ground. They should not take politics into Eid prayer grounds or our mosques. Politicians should respect religious leaders and the religious leaders should respect political leaders. They should all fear Allah and know that Allah is above everybody, be it governor or senator.”
Incident unfortunate —Senator Basiru
Meanwhile, the former Senate spokesperson, Senator Basiru in a chat with newsmen in Osogbo, described the incident as unfortunate adding that the governor surrounded himself with handlers pushing illogical narratives for him.
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His words: “Some hoodlums were seen in about three buses at Eid ground and to say the governor left the premises, leaving those thugs in the venue without arresting them up till now, when he is supposed to be the Chief Security Officer, having sworn to the constitution, Section 14 that security and welfare is the paramount responsibility of the governor. That statement by the spokesperson is an indictment on the governor himself.
“To also say the governor arrive at a place to meet such situation means that the security around the governor is also porous because there is supposed to be an advance team that would have gone to do security reconnaissance. Two things would have happened; either they are inefficient or outright liars.
“It is also ironical that somebody who is a Muslim, no matter how hard it is, no matter the issues involved, to observe two Raka-at prayers, should not be an issue that you stormed out of the Eid and after that, his spokesperson says he went to do thanksgivings. I don’t know if it is Muslim, Christian or traditional thanksgiving; because there is nothing like thanksgiving in Islam.”
However, Governor Adeleke’s spokesperson, Mr Rasheed, insisted that the Senator hijacked space reserved for the governor and refused to vacate when approached by protocol officers and leaders of the town.
He added the governor’s handlers are competent; hence, they manage to curtail the violence intended by the senator.
He said: “The handlers are smarter because Basiru’s agenda was to create violence and stampede which he planned to blame on the Governor. The presence of armed thugs was to kill and create stampede, all which will be blamed on the Governor.”
