•Ishaq Akintola
The Yoruba’s socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, has warned all groups and interests against making incendiary statements or introducing practices that can endanger peaceful coexistence among the residents of Ekiti and other South-West states.
The organisation also called on intelligence agencies, especially the Force Intelligence Department (FID) of the Nigeria Police and Department of State Services (DSS), to put the Executive Director of Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Prof. Ishaq Akintola, in check for making comments that could stoke religious conflict in the region, reports The Guardian.
It would be recalled that the MURIC had in a statement on Monday by Akintola condemned the demolition of two mosques in Aramoko, Ekiti State, describing the action as an onslaught on Islam in Ekiti State.
MURIC said while no explanation was given for demolishing the first one, the second was pulled down to give way for a market, which is a constituency project of the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele.
MURIC, however, charged Bamidele to reach out to the Muslim community at Aramoko to rebuild the mosque or remain in the bad books of Nigerian Muslims forever.
However, Afenifere, which gave the warning, yesterday, in a statement by its Chairman, Ekiti chapter, Gabriel Alonge, in reaction to Akintola’s statement that Bamidele had declared war on Muslims over mosque demolition in Aramoko-Ekiti, Ekiti State, described Akintola’s comment as unfounded, unguided and capable of endangering peaceful coexistence among brothers of different religious leanings and stoking the embers of religious conflict in Ekiti State and by extension South-West states.
It said: “Our findings revealed that Senator Bamidele facilitated the reconstruction of Alara Modern Market in Aramoko. We also found out that the market, comprising 60 open shops and 40 lock-up shops, was inaugurated on March 28, 2025 and handed over to Alara-in-Council and Ekiti West Local Council, the two original owners of the property.
“We found out that the Chief Imam of Aramoko-Ekiti, Raheem Bamigbola, offered the opening prayer at the inauguration of the market last year. Where did Akintola get his information? For us, at Afenifere, this is a deliberate attempt to destabilise Ekiti State shortly after we got over ripples that their plan to establish the Shariah Arbitration Panel in some South-West states had triggered.”
The Afenifere, therefore, called on the FID of the Nigeria Police and the DSS to start profiling every individual making statements that could endanger the region’s peaceful coexistence or any group promoting hateful practices anywhere in the South-West and Nigeria at large.
