The leadership of the Kamorudeen Society of Nigeria and
adherents of the Esubiyi masquerader, on Monday, traded accusations over a
clash at the Oluode Aranyin’s compound, Osogbo, which left one man dead and 19
others injured, even as a Muslim group gave the Osun State Government 72 hours
to arrest the perpetrators.
The deceased, Moshood Salawudeen, from Baale’s compound,
Iwo, was said to be the Baba Ijo of the Kamorudeen Society of Nigeria.
He was said to have been shot in the head in front of the
mosque on Sunday during the clash and died on the spot.
Many residents of the area declined to comment on the incident, but one of them, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said when he heard the noise and rushed to the scene, the followers of the Esubiyi masquerader were initially chased back, but returned with more men.
“It was a free-for-all between the two groups. They have a
history of clashes that predates now. I was inside when I heard the noise and
rushed out. The followers of the masquerader were standing a few meters away
from the mosque after they had been chased back by members of the Islamic
group. They later mobilised and returned with more men.”
But while narrating what transpired at a press briefing, the
Chief Imam of the society, Qosim Yunus, admitted that the group had a frosty
relationship with the followers of the Esubiyi masquerader, which resulted in
litigation in the past.
Yunus said the group was having a special prayer for the
country under a canopy in front of the mosque on Sunday, adding that the event
had progressed without any hitch until the Esubiyi masquerader and his
followers got to the area.
He said, “Almost three hours into the prayer, commotion
enveloped the hitherto peaceful environment of the mosque. Alas, members of the
society, who were praying for peace, ended up as causalities as the
masquerader’s adherents, led by an Ifa worshipper, who is also an APC stalwart
in Osun State, stormed the mosque and unleashed mayhem on the Islamic faithful,
leaving one person dead and scores with gun wounds; the mosque was vandalised
and vehicles and other properties of the society destroyed.
“The remains of the deceased, Alhaji Moshood Salawudeen,
have been deposited in the morgue of the UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, and
the injured are presently receiving treatment at the same hospital.
“The masquerader was led to our area by four policemen and
they initially passed without any quarrel. They later came to where we sat and
attacked us. The deceased was shot dead; our people were attacked with
machetes.
“The following are some of our members, who were injured:
Abdul Jelleel, Adebayo Awolesin, Taofeek Fatai, Malik Abdulkabir, Quazeek
Al-ameen, Qauzeem Aseyori, Ayuba Abdakeem, Abdusalam Abdrauf, Ajabge Ishaq,
Owolabi Maruf, Risiqat Zakariyahu, Isiaq Ibraheem, Yahaya and Halimot Oladosu.”
But while reacting to the allegations, the custodian of the
Esubiyi masquerader, Fashola Esuleke, accused the Muslim group of masterminding
an attack on the masquerader during a visit to the area.
Fashola, who said his father, Chief Kayode Esuleke, owns the
masquerader, alleged that members of the Islamic group attempted to unmask the
masquerader during the attack, adding that the police and men of the Agbekoya
group later intervened and rescued some of the adherents, who were held hostage
by members of the Kamorudeen Society.
He said the masquerader was in the area to greet a family
member and after he had prayed for the man and left his house, the procession
came under attack as a member of the Islamic group attempted to remove the veil
on the masquerader.
Denying killing or causing bodily harm to anyone during the
clash, Fashola said the leader of the Islamic group had a history of attacking
masqueraders and burning their regalia, adding that five followers of the
Esubiyi masquerader were injured.
He stated, “We were in the area to greet a family member and
we had moved to the house of the said man, passing by members of the Kamorudeen
Society, who sat under the canopy in front of their mosque. We didn’t beat
drums or make a noise. But when we were returning, our procession came under
attack.
“Some members of the Islamic group went to the upper part of
the mosque and started pelting us with stones. One of them charged forward and
attempted to remove the veil covering the face of our masquerader.
“But some of our men
rescued the masquerader. Five of our members were also injured. Before we got
to the area, we passed through many mosques and churches. Nothing like that
happened. The man should be investigated.”
Speaking on behalf of a group, the Coalition of Muslim
Rights Activists of Nigeria, Osun State chapter, Mallam Abdulganiy Sahid, gave
the state government a 72-hour ultimatum to arrest all those identified as the
perpetrators.
Sahid said failure to do so, members of the group would
demonstrate their capacity to defend themselves within the ambit of the law.
He also asked the government to take over the treatment of
the injured and repair of damaged properties.
Meanwhile, the state police command has said some people
have been arrested in connection with the clash.
The command’s spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola, told our correspondent,
“Some people have been arrested in connection with the incident. Investigation
is on already. One person was killed, but his identity is not known.”
She, however, declined disclosing the number of people in
custody over the incident.
Similarly, the state government said the perpetrators would
be brought to justice.
It also called on residents of the state, especially
religious and ethnic groups, to coexist peacefully in order to maintain the
peaceful profile of Osun State.
The call was made by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the
Governor, Prince Abdullah Binuyo, who led the state government’s delegation on
an on-the-spot assessment of the scene as well as paid a visit to the victims
receiving treatment at the UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital.
Binuyo was quoted in a statement by the Commissioner for
Information and Civic Orientation, Funke Egbemode, to have said that the
government would investigate what happened between the two groups.
The statement read in part, “For us as a government, one of
the cardinal things we preach to our citizens irrespective of their religious
leaning is the need to coexist peacefully and ensure that the rights of their
neighbours are not infringed upon in any way.
“We’ve been to the hospital to visit the casualties arising
from yesterday’s attack and we are appealing for calm on both sides to avoid
any case of reprisal from any quarter.
“This is a major issue that the government will step into,
investigate what actually happened and bring to justice those responsible for
this very unfortunate act.”
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com