There is controversy in Rurum town of Rano LGA of Kano State after the community members rejected an imam appointed by their village head who they said was not qualified to lead them in prayer.
The argument followed the death of the imam of the Juma’at mosque and the community members preferring his deputy, said to have spent over 20 years in the position, to be appointed as the new imam.
However, the village head appointed another person contrary to what they wanted.
One of the people in the area, Malam Zakiru Nura, said they were accusing their village head, Malam Ado Yusuf, and other top officials of imposing an incompetent imam which, he said, was against the will and tradition of the town.
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“Our town is known for sticking to the teachings of Islam and we are popular when it comes to the number of known persons (Ulama). But after the death of our imam, we pointed at someone that is qualified and has spent over 20 years as deputy imam but the village head rejected him.”
He added that people in the community have united against the new appointment and decided that no one will lead them in prayer until the right person is appointed.
He said that was why they decided to lock the mosque running to six days now.
When contacted, the village head, Malam Ado Yusuf, said three people were forwarded to him for selection, and he decided to choose the person that was rejected by the people.
He added that last Friday the residents disrupted the swearing-in ceremony of the imam and he was only rescued by the police when he was about to be beaten up inside the mosque.
According to him, efforts are underway to solve the problem, and called on the government to build another mosque for them to avoid such controversies.
On their part, the residents also urged the emir of Rano to call the village head and other clerics of the town for fair hearing.
