ISLAMIC REPUBLIC UNCOVERED IN IBADAN

Islamic Republic uncovered in Ibadan
From YINKA FABOWALE, Ibadan
Thursday, March 11 , 2010


Akala

Barely a week after the gory massacre of 500 souls in Jos, Plateau State, some Islamic fundamentalists are again at work to stage a similar pogrom on Christians in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

Daily Sun investigation shows that some people have been distributing and dropping anonymous and inciting leaflets, calling for Jihad and attacks on Christians, in mosques within the volatile capital city and its environs.

Aside of this is emergence of a fanatical Islamic sect in Beree, a suburb of Ibadan in Oluyole Local Government Area, which is now under close watch of security agencies in the state due to its intolerance of other religious groups in the area.

The group was said to have established a village called 'Madina' about six years ago, where its followers camped.

It was learnt that the group was fond of destroying and defacing Christian crusade/revival posters in public.

Last Thursday, the extremists were also said to have threatened to attack Ogun (god of iron) worshipers in the community while the latter were celebrating their festival.

It took the intervention of elders of the community to pacify them and put the situation under control.

A police source told Daily Sun that the command has set up a dragnet for the group's leader.

One of the inciting leaflets circulating in mosques urged Muslims to rise up against Christians in a holy war on the ground that they were losing their brethren to Christianity.

It said the attack must be carried out on a Sunday when their targets would be in church to worship.

One of the grouses of the author of the leaflet is that the 'most educated' Nigerians and 'hypocrites' in the country are Christians.

The leaflet writer regretted that Muslims in the southern part of the country had not been as militant as their counterparts in the North, stressing that they must now take a cue from past Jihadists in Kano and other northern states.

Intelligence reports on the development, Daily Sun learnt, was responsible for an emergency meeting the state Commissioner of Police, Adisa Bolanta, had with leaders of religious groups in the state last week.

At the meeting were: Rev. Bola Ajibike, who represented the Chairman of the State Chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN); Archbishop Akinfenwa; leader, National Council of Muslim Youth Organizations (NACOMYO) Alhaji Kunle Sanni; Dr. Dawood Alaga; Serikin Hausawa and representative of the Chief Imam of Ibadan, Alhaji Busari Suara.

The police boss was said to have intimated them on the existence of the hate letters and warned them against acts that could cause disharmony and crisis within the state.

Daily Sun learnt that the Muslim delegation complained about a certain Christian home video, featuring a Muslim called 'Alfa Sule,' it claimed, was provocative.

To this, the CAN leaders were said to have declared the body's efforts at disciplining its erring members but called for maturity on the part of viewers of such productions.

The police commissioner calmed frayed nerves but reminded the meeting of constitutional freedom of expression and worship.

He, however, promised to request the film censor board to look into the complaint, adding that the video producer would be invited and cautioned.

The meeting ended with a resolution for the setting up of an inter-faith committee to meet quarterly to resolve issues of conflicts that could breach public peace.