A social-cultural group, Oyo ni Wa , has slammed the Director of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Ishaq Akintola.
The group in a statement, signed by its Secretary, Fatai Olasunkanmi, warned Akintola to stay away from the affairs of Muslims in the state.
The MURIC director had recently criticized the manner of appointment of the Chief Imam of the ancient town.
The social-political group described Akintola’s criticism of the appointment of a Chief Imam in Oyo town as not only laughable, but also a blatant attempt to meddle in affairs that do not concern him.
According to the statement,
“The Muslims of Oyo Kingdom do not need MURIC to teach us how to manage our religious matters. Oyo is not a colony of MURIC, and the Director must understand that he has no stake or say, in how we choose our Chief Imam.
“He should face his business elsewhere and stop importing confusion into our peaceful community.
“For the record, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, as Custodian of Yoruba culture, does not practise. one religion exclusively. He identifies with Islam, Christianity, and traditional religion. It is therefore false and misleading for anyone to suggest that the Alaafin has no authority in the appointment of a Chief Imam in Oyo.
“From the time immemorial, leadership of our mosque and the appointment of a Chief Imam in Oyo have always been the prerogative of the Alaafin of Oyo, exercised in consultation with the Muslim ummah of Oyo — and certainly not with MURIC.
‘We warn MURIC in the strongest terms to desist from further interference in Oyo’s religious affairs. Any attempt to dictate to us will be firmly resisted. Oyo Muslims will not allow outsiders to cause division among us.
“The Director of MURIC should, therefore, mind his own business and leave Oyo Muslims alone to decide their future,” the statement said.
