JAMB Registrar, envoy intervene in Egba Muslim leadership crisis

JAMB Registrar Professor Ishaq Oloyede

The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, and Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Amb. Sarafa Tunji Ishola, have intervened in the suspension of the Chief Imam of Egbaland, Saad Bamgbola.

They also appealed to the entire Egba Muslim community to sheathe their swords on the consequent suspension of the Egba Chiefs who took part in the suspension.

There was confusion in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital on Tuesday following the suspension of the Chief Imam of Egbaland.

It was learned that some Muslims in Egbaland, on Monday, announced the suspension of Bamgbola over allegations of “high-handedness, administrative exclusivity, mishandling of funds, and conflicting of interest between his position as the Chief Imam and membership of another association.”

The aggrieved Egba Muslim chiefs, led by the former Military Administrator of Bauchi State, Navy Captain Rasheed Raji (Retd), who announced the suspension of the Chief Imam, appointed a second-in-command.

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The Imams and Alfas in the Egba community rejected the suspension, describing it as “an embarrassment to the Islamic religion and an act capable of causing religious war in the town.”

However, Oloyede and Ishola, who is also the Baba Adeen of Yorubaland, Edo, and Delta states, urged the Muslim faithful to embrace peace and unity of the religion at this period.

Ishola, who spoke online from the United Kingdom to newsmen in Abeokuta in an effort to douse the tension, disclosed that he and Oloyede, as high stakeholders, had fully engaged all those involved in the dispute in serious peace talks and urged them to ceasefire immediately.

He further stated that they had persuaded all those involved to maintain the peace and not to take any further action that might aggravate the already tense situation.

He added that all those involved had accepted a ceasefire pending further action to resolve all the issues.

Ishola said more steps were being taken for an enduring resolution that would promote peace, mutual respect, and understanding among the Muslim leadership and followership within the Egba Muslim community.

The High Commissioner, therefore, enjoined all Muslim leaders involved in the crisis not to issue or make further press statements concerning the matter until further notice.

The Star