Peace continues to be elusive among the many Muslims in Ogbomoso over who ought to be acknowledged because the grand chief imam between Dr. Toliat Yunus Ayilara and Habeeb Mahmud Usman Ayilara, each from the Ayilara household and one of many six teams that typically current candidate for the exalted Islamic place within the historical city.
The association to choose/appoint the grand chief imam then, was on the discretion and executed by the monarch, the Soun of Ogbomoso himself who would choose from the six shares which have all the time laid declare to the place.
With this association that has by no means been contested from time immemorial, the place has rotated among the many six households of Musifa, Bango, Abogunde, Aduin, Alawiye and Ayilara.However the understanding and maturity that each one the involved have displayed within the peaceable city that when produced the premier of the defunct Western Area and Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, the late Chief Ladoke Akintola, and the late former governor of Oyo State, Chief Alao Akala, is now below risk, requiring rapid motion by the stakeholders, together with authorities in any respect ranges.
As issues stand now, two Grand Chief Imams have been introduced and each are presently calling the photographs. One Grand Chief Imam, Dr. Toliat Yunus Ayilara was turbaned by the rapid former Soun, Alhaji Jimoh Oladunni Oyewunmi (Jagungbade III) whereas the opposite Grand Chief Imam, his kin, Habeeb Mahmud Usman Ayilara was additionally turbaned by the current Soun, Pastor Ghandi Olaoye (Arumogege III) who branded him Palace Imam (with out mosque).
The emergence of one other grand chief imam one yr after the turbaning of Toliat will not be solely querying the rationale, but additionally elevating rigidity with the supporters of the 2 spiritual leaders threatening a showdown ought to their candidate not declared the popular on the finish.
It began three years in the past when the late monarch gave Muslims the go away to all the time choose their grand chief imam from then on. The favour was celebrated around the city and past as a result of the period of favouritism and godfatherism was thought-about gone, the Islamic chief would henceforth be picked by the most important stakeholders, together with versed students, spiritual and societal heads in addition to Islamic youths.
It should even be recalled that Soun Oyewunmi instructed that the educational background of each contestant ought to be thought-about within the means of appointing a Grand Chief Imam.
Particularly, he instructed the committee saddled with the accountability to all the time be certain that their alternative is versed in Islamic scholarship along with being grounded in western schooling.
This prerequisite led to the invention of a PhD holder, Toliat Yunus Ayilara, who was then the Chief Imam of Adiam Memorial Central Mosque in Iporo-Ake in Abeokuta, Ogun State. He was summoned house by the Muslim neighborhood who within the spirit of equity threw the competition open to all aspirants within the Ayilara household.
“Because it was the flip of the Ayilara household to provide new Grand Chief Imam, we known as for curiosity and 4 individuals finally indicated curiosity,” the chairman, Ogbomoso Muslim Group, Alhaji Akintoye Areago Onisaapa, informed The Weekend Guardian.
He acknowledged additional that the household screened the aspirants that included Habeeb Usman Mahmud Ayilara, solely to later announce the victory of Toliat. “This didn’t go down effectively with some family members who protested the emergence of Toliat. They got here to us on the council and we in our little capability urged for peace and performed our personal re-screening procedures coordinated by a four-man committee headed by Sheikh Rasheed Abdulazeez. Different members had been Shaikh Alim AbdulWahab (former appearing chief imam after the demise of Sheikh AbdulYakeen Ashafa in 2021), Alhaji Mikhail Bello and AbdulRazaq who served because the secretary,” Areago recalled.
He acknowledged additional that “the committee once more declared Toliat winner” and that it was at that juncture that Toliat was turbaned by Oba Oyewunmi in his palace at an occasion effectively attended by one and all.
However a yr after the turbaning of Toliat by the late Oba Oyewunmi, some members of the Ayilara household rose to contest his paternity.
The state of affairs led to Toliat’s mom being summoned to the Soun Palace the place she was mentioned to have been quizzed. “When she got here right here, I keep in mind she informed all of us that she by no means married twice, that she was solely married into Ayilara household. She even mentioned that each one her kids had been for Ayilara household,” a supply within the Palace (names withheld) informed our reporter.
The Guardian gathered that Oba Olaoye had initially accepted the paternity declare of the Chief Imam however for some relations who insisted that “he should go”, he grew to become skeptical about it.
It was learnt that not that the Kabiyesi willingly reopened the case in opposition to the Grand Chief Imam, he was mentioned to have been pressured to take action, particularly when an undisclosed member of the household knowledgeable the monarch that he partook in forging the educational certificates for the Grand Chief Imam. “This couldn’t be swept below the rug, forcing the Kabiyesi to vary his thoughts and place,” one other Palace supply hinted.
It was gathered that if not for the excessive handedness of the Grand Chief Imam, the insurrection from many corners wouldn’t have arisen. For example, some Islamic leaders who had been later found to be allegedly fueling the palpable disunity had at a number of events cautioned the Grand Chief Imam for what they termed his fearless outbursts on the pulpit. Toliat is alleged to have all the time directed his sermons and preaching in opposition to conventional establishments and people discovered wanting in accountability and accountability.
The League of Imams made up of students additionally stood in opposition to Toliat as a result of he allegedly refused to hitch the group regardless of a number of entreaties. “Slightly than be part of as an extraordinary member, he requested to be the chairman, reasoning that he because the Grand Chief Imam, gained’t be an extraordinary member to be managed and ordered by his subordinates in rating,” a supply who most well-liked anonymity confided in our reporter.
Apart this, Toliat, on assumption of workplace was additionally mentioned to have directed the League of Imams and different Islamic teams to register with the Company Affairs Fee (CAC), threatening to disband any group with opposite view. This generated warmth, compelling the Muslim neighborhood to make a number of strikes to douse the strain that in no small measure threatens the prevailing peace among the many Muslims. Apart from, a high-powered peace committee involving Dr. Saka Adegbite Balogun; Senator Hamzat Ayoade Adeosun; Alhaji AbdulHameed Monsur Ejide and Alhaji AbdulRazaq Sadik additionally tried to seek out lasting peace to the ravaging disaster. The Islamic Muslim Group (IMC) additionally mentioned it had made 4 completely different strikes to quell the disaster that lingers until the second.
It was gathered that the monarch is ready patiently to launch Imam Habeeb into the neighborhood as the brand new Grand Chief Imam of Ogbomoso on the slightest alternative. In line with the supply, Soun’s affiliation together with his favoured Imam Habeeb grew to become palpable particularly when he allegedly seized the city’s Eid-ground for Habeeb to steer the annual prayer, a job that Toliat had been performing.
Apart the listed peace strikes, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Sa’advert too had made a transfer by elevating a committee headed by the Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB,) Prof. Is-haq Oloyede which met with the warring factions in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
The Oloyede panel met with 32 members every from the 2 camps on the finish of which three individuals had been picked from either side to return house (Ogbomoso) and discover lasting answer to the disaster. “They haven’t met since three weeks in the past after they had been directed to resolve the difficulty,” Areago of the IMC expressed remorse. He described the happenings as a stain on Muslims, notably in Ogbomoso. “That is like ridiculing Islam as a result of the king that denied our Grand Chief Imam is a Christian,” Areago mentioned. He, nevertheless, recalled: that “the same state of affairs as soon as occurred throughout Oba Oyewunmi’s period when there was a disaster with the Christians. They got here to him for his place however he bluntly mentioned ‘since I’m a Muslim, I gained’t be in a superb place to be concerned.’”
The face-off between the Palace Chief Imam and Toliat deepened this yr when the Federal Authorities picked the Islamic chief as one of many non secular delegates to hajj in Saudi Arabia.For not taking permission from the monarch, he was mentioned to have been requested to return house whereas the non secular train was then ongoing.
It was learnt that when the Grand Chief Imam couldn’t make it house as spontaneously demanded by the monarch, he allegedly blocked his telephone strains in addition to refused viewers with Toliat. When contacted, an ally of the Grand Chief Imam requested: “How may he have taken permission from him (king) when he wouldn’t see him and has blocked his telephone?”
The narrative on the reason for the disaster among the many Muslims in Ogbomoso is now altering because the Akeweje Musulimi Ogbomoso, Alhaji Biliaminu Olubukola Badmus alleged that the refusal of Toliat to share the monies donated to the course of Islam with some high-ranking Muslims led to their helps for these opposing him. “Monies donated for constructing and sustaining the central mosque was being mismanaged earlier than the emergence of Imam Toliat. All this he blocked when he got here on board, that’s the bane of the disaster,” Badmus mentioned. He threatened disaster and basic unrest ought to the monarch finally launch Imam Habeeb into the central mosque.
“The continued disaster has labelled us as a disorganised organisation. Kabiyesi ought to simply forgive us wherever and nevertheless we would have erred and permit peace to return as a result of there can be battle in Ogbomoso.
“It is a case of a thief who stole the king’s trumpet, the place will he blow it? If Habeeb is finally made the Grand Chief Imam, we the youths will resist him as a result of we as youths have determined to go together with Toliat as our Grand Chief Imam,” the Akeweje Musulumi declared.
As rigidity continues to mount in Ogbomoso, the monarch who initially requested our reporter to come back right down to Ogbomoso to ebook appointment with the palace secretary for his facet of the story, has finally declined to touch upon the disaster, telling The Guardian by way of WhatsApp message that the battleground for the case has been shifted to the courtroom. “Greetings, I’m out of Ogbomosho land, the case continues to be in courtroom so I can not touch upon it,” the message reads.
On why then the invitation to Ogbomoso, Soun replied: “I’m sorry about that…it was a combination up.”
