MURIC warns Soun, says Ogbomoso Muslims are not under RCCG

he Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has warned that the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Afolabi Ghandi Olaoye, not to set Ogbomoso on fire.

This was sequel to the query issued by the king to the Chief Imam of Ogbomoso, Dr. Taliat Yunus Olusina Ayilara, for failing to notify him before embarking on his recent Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

The Executive Director of MURIC, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, in a statement, lamented that Oba Olaoye is provoking the Muslims by his actions.

“The concluding paragraph of the query dated 10th June, 2024 and captioned ‘Query on Breach of Oath of Office and Undertakings’ reads inter alia: ‘As the Soun of Ogbomosoland, I hereby demand that you immediately return to Ogbomoso and rectify these violations and desist from any further actions that violate the undertakings you signed on the approval of your appointment as Chief Imam Agba of Ogbomosoland’.

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“The query was signed by Toyin Ajamu, the Palace Secretary, on behalf of Oba Ghandi Olatoye Orumogege III. MURIC strongly condemns this query. It is not only in bad taste but also in bad faith. It portrays Oba Ghandi as a human king who wants to be worshipped before we can be allowed to worship the Supreme Creator, Allah.
“The Soun of Ogbomoso wants the Chief Imam to take permission before going on pilgrimage to Makkah. This is akin to asking the Chief Imam to come to the palace every morning to take permission before going for salat (prayer) because Muslims go to Makkah to worship Allah and they also observe Salat for the same purpose.

“This is a clear infringement on Allah-given fundamental human rights of the Chief Imam and a violation of Section 38(i)&(ii) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which guarantees freedom of worship. It should be noted that Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam and it is enshrined in the divine scripture of Islam, the Glorious Qur’an (22:27),” Akintola said.

He said the most annoying part of the query is where the king commanded the Chief Imam to immediately return to Ogbomoso’ from faraway Saudi Arabia.

He said such implies that Oba Olaoye, a human being, commanded the Chief Imam to abandon the worship of Allah in order to come and pay homage to him in his palace.

“Nobody is saying the Imam should disrespect the king but at the same time it should be reciprocal. The post of Chief Imam is an exalted office and Nigerian Muslims will not take kindly to its desecration. By issuing this query to our Chief Imam, the Soun of Ogbomoso has dragged our Chief Imam in the mud and shown complete disregard for his office and faith,” Akintola said.

He said that the same MURIC that is asking monarchs to leave the imams alone is the same organization that is canvassing for the independence of kings from deposition by state governors.

He said, “We demand the withdrawal of this serpentine query unless he can show the world letters of permission written by church General Overseers (G.Os), bishops and pastors in Ogbomosoland. He must show the world applications submitted to past Souns by church leaders who wanted to travel to Jerusalem and other countries as well as those submitted to him since ascending the throne.

“In as much as Soun will not expect applications to travel out to Jerusalem from bishops and pastors, he should not demand same from our Chief Imam Agba. This query from Soun has caused the Muslim Community throughout Nigeria excruciating pain and created a wider gulf between Muslims and Christians.

“Soun is behaving as if Ogbomoso Muslims are under the Redeemed Church. As a former pastor of the Redeemed Church, he should know that he is not in the best position to escape suspicion from Muslims. The Chief Imam is not a traditional title holder at all. Neither is he one of the palace floor sweepers. So where is this query coming from? This query lacks wisdom, tact and caution. Soun should not set Ogbomoso on fire,” Akintola said.