An Islamic advocacy organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has sent a Save Our Soul message to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the continued seizure of the Muslim prayer ground at Obalende, Lagos, by the military despite an order by former President Muhammadu Buhari that the place should be returned to the Lagos Muslim community who are the rightful owners.
In a statement made available to journalists on Monday, the Executive Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, described the continued seizure of the prayer ground as illegal, unjust and the mother of all impunities.
The reads in part: “The Lagos Muslim Community is now left without a befitting praying ground for its Salah (‘Id) prayers. Its only known praying ground at Obalende has long been seized by the Nigerian security agencies who have refused to vacate the place even after ex-President Muhammadu Buhari issued an order to that effect.
“The land was initially given to the Lagos Muslim Community by the fourth colonial Governor General of Nigeria, Sir Donald Cameron (1931 – 1935), through an Indenture on August 9, 1931, ‘to HOLD the same unto, and to the use of the Grantees forever, free from all encumbrances.’
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“However, the praying ground was commandeered by the army and other security agencies during the military era and the Muslim rightful owners were denied access even on Salah days. This compelled the Lagos Muslim Community to look for uncomfortably small empty spaces around Lagos Island. It created a lot of discomfort…
“President Tinubu should not allow this illegality to stand. As the C-In-C, he has overall power over all the security agencies. He can order a cessation of the impunity. He can inject a heavy dose of civility and the rule of law in them. Only compliance with the earlier presidential order to vacate the Muslim prayer ground at Obalende will make any sense.
“In keeping with its avowed motto, ‘Dialogue, No Violence’, MURIC will continue to use civility, decorum and all legitimate and peaceful means to register the grievances of Nigerian Muslims. We therefore strongly appeal to the Lagos Muslim Community in particular and all Nigerian Muslims in general, to bear with the situation until President Tinubu takes action on it. We have no scintilla of doubt that this will happen soon because we have a listening president.”
