27th April,
2022
PRESS RELEASE:
DON’T COMMANDEER OBALENDE PRAYING
GROUND:
MURIC TELLS ARMY, LASG
The Muslim praying ground at
Obalende, Lagos, which has been encroached upon by the Nigerian Army, is now a
subject of controversy as the Lagos Muslim Community has petitioned the state
governor as well as the Federal Government (FG).
A Muslim rights advocacy
group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has also waded into the matter. In a statement
made available to journalists on Wednesday, 27th April, 2022, the
director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, called on the Nigerian Army to vacate
the land. He also urged the state governor to issue a certificate of occupancy
to the Lagos Muslim Community without delay.
The statement reads :
“A 3.11 acre piece of land
belonging to the Lagos Muslim Community is now a subject of controversy. The
land which is situated at Obalende is now littered with military hardwares.
This encroachment has constituted an impediment because it is the same land on
which thousands of Lagos Muslims observe their festival prayers.
“MURIC regards this as an
attempt to subtly commandeer the piece of land. It is open strangulation of
Allah-given fundamental human right, a threat to freedom of religion as
stipulated in Section 38 (i) & (ii) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria and an invitation to anarchy.
“The land was originally
given to the Lagos Muslim Community by the fourth colonial governor general of
Nigeria, Sir Donald Cameroon (1931 – 1935), via
an Indenture on 9th August, 1931 ‘to HOLD the same unto, and to the
use of the Grantees forever, free from all encumbrances’.
“As a colonial heritage given to
Lagos Muslims, it is a dis-service to the historical background of the city of
Lagos and an attempt to distort the records for any institution to wrench the
property from its original owners. The press statement issued by the Muslim
Community of Lagos State on 29th March 2022 has revealed the long
struggle to retain ownership of the land.
“It was General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) as
military head of state who first showed interest in the land when he requested
for a little portion of it to widen a section of Ribadu Road in front of his
office and it was graciously granted by the Muslims. This was in the early
1970s. Unfortunately this opened a floodgate of encroachments by the army who
littered the grounds with military hardware and construction equipment
“Several efforts have since been made
by the Muslim Community of Lagos to get justice from the authorities but all to
no avail. Of all the petitions submitted to various authorities, only General
Musa Yaradua responded and showed both concern and readiness to yield. To the
petition dated 24th March, 1977, Yaradua responded within two weeks on
13th April, 1977 and we quote, inter alia:
‘Following your presentation to me on
the 23rd March, 1977 as well as your letter No LCM/CEC/11/77 of 24th
March, 1977, due consideration was given to your petition against eviction from
the Obalende Praying Grounds.
‘It has been decided that Government will
no longer pursue the eviction of the Muslim Community from this property and
the matter should therefore be regarded as closed.’
“As quoted above, Yaradua’s reply of
13th April, 1977 to the Muslims’ protest letter, by all
interpretations, indicate the readiness of the army to vacate the property.
This show of goodwill should have been acted upon by successive regimes but the
reverse was the case until the place was again occupied by the army in 2004.
The Muslim Community immediately wrote another petition dated 12th
April, 2004 and submitted it to the the head of state, General Olusegun Obasanjo
(rtd).
“All efforts by the Lagos Muslim
Community to get the governments of Obasanjo, Jonathan and President Muhammadu Buhari
to remove army equipment from the Muslim land have been in vain. Their
petitions have been greeted with lethargy.
“We recall that protest letters were also
submitted to Jonathan, Osinbajo and Buhari during the 2015 campaigns. Closer home,
the certificate of occupancy (C of O) which the Lagos Muslim Community requested
from Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu during a courtesy visit on 13th
August 2020 has yielded no result.
“This official aparthy to the
legitimate demand of the Muslim Community of Lagos depicts, to say the least,
insensitivity, impunity and a desertification of a culture of transparency and accountability
on the part of successive regimes.
“It is the high level of patience and
endurance manifested and frequently pronounced by the leadership of the Muslim
Community under Professor Tajudeen Gbadamosi and the Chief Imam of Lagos, His
Eminence, Engr. Shaykh Sulaimon Oluwatoyin Abou-Nolla, that has kept provoked Muslim
youths under control.
“While MURIC is aware of efforts
being made by LASG and the Minister of Works to get the army out of the land,
we urge the Lagos State Governor to expedite action on the issuance of the C of
O of the property.
“It is our strong belief that Obalende
Praying Ground is part of Ikoyi Land Law of Lagos State and since LASG became
the owner of all lands situated within the state by virtue of the transfer of
Crown Land Act Chapter 45, 1958 on the creation of Lagos State on 27th
May, 1967, LASG has the power to exercise authority over the landed property.
“People who endeavor to engage
government but who meet a brick wall on each attempt are prone to frustration.
Youth among such people are most likely to become uncontrollable. Most
importantly, a situation in which thousands of Muslims assemble for their
festival prayer but cannot find a suitable place to perform it is most volatile
and unpredictable. It is worse when they are aware that the place they had been
using before has been commandeered.
“We therefore appeal to LASG to do
everything within its power to ensure that Lagos Muslims are not denied the use
of Obalende Prayer Ground at any point in time especially as the Salah day of
the ongoing Ramadan season of 2022 is fast approaching.”
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
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