The peaceful town of Inisa in Osun State has been rocked by a controversial and tragic feud over the selection of a new imam for the community’s central mosque. Islamic clerics across Nigeria have voiced strong condemnation of the dispute, which sadly resulted in the loss of two lives among five contenders.
The conflict, originating in 2020, escalated following the mosque’s temporary closure. Grand Mufti of Yorubaland, Sheik Dawood Molaasan, in a widely viewed Facebook live video, detailed how the selection process divided the Islamic community, exacerbated by the involvement of the Christian monarch of Inisa, Oba Joseph Oladunjoye Oyedele Fasikun II.
Oba Oyedele’s preference for a particular candidate, despite his Christian faith, sparked significant dissent. This preferred candidate, deemed less qualified and involved in a legal case, stood in stark contrast to a well-travelled and educated nominee, chosen by the league of Inisa’s Islamic clerics.
Sheik Molaasan urged for a competence examination between the two main contenders, aligning with the practices set by Prophet Mohammad (SAW) that emphasize Islamic knowledge over popularity or influence.
Further reactions include a call to Osun State’s Governor, Ademola Adeleke, for intervention.Â
Sheikh Hamad Labeeb from Ilorin criticized the mosque’s closure over the feud, emphasizing the need for a diplomatic resolution. Meanwhile, Sheikh Jamiu Bello, representing the League of Imams and Alfas in Yorubaland, Edo, and Delta states, clarified that a court order, not Muslim elders, led to the mosque’s closure.
According to a report by Punch , in 2021, the Osun State Government briefly shuttered the mosque to prevent further conflict, later reopening it following a peaceful resolution. The government’s statement highlighted the importance of maintaining communal peace and the hope for ongoing harmony.
