No Mosque Demolished In Ekiti For Market Project, LG Chairman Reacts

By Ayodele Oni

Ekiti West Local Government in Ekiti State, has clarified that a building, which was demolished, which an Islamic organization claimed was a mosque, was an illegal structure.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), had issued a statement accusing the Senate leader, Opeyemi Bamidele of promoting religious intolerance by demolishing a mosque for a market at Aramoko Ekiti.

Ekiti state chapter of Afenifere had condemned MURIC over its utterance on the incident.

The Ekiti West Local Government management in a reaction by the Chairman, Moses Omojola maintained that MURIC action was misleading and inciting.

It added that MURIC through its leader Prof Ishaq Akintola, had alleged that the Senate Leader, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, demolished a mosque in Aramoko-Ekiti to make way for a constituency market project.

“We categorically state that this allegation is false, malicious, and a gross misrepresentation of the facts.

“It appears designed to inflame religious sentiment and undermine the credibility of a federal legislator whose developmental efforts across Ekiti State have always been inclusive and community-driven.

“The land used for the market project in question was officially allocated to the Senate Leader by the Alara-in-Council and Ekiti West Local Government to construct an ultra-modern market to serve the people of Aramoko and surrounding communities.

“The structure claimed by the MURIC Director to be a mosque was, in fact, an unauthorized and incomplete building without any approved building plan or documentation. It was not recognized as a mosque by either the Alara-in-Council or the local government.

“Upon discovering the structure, the Alara-in-Council immediately issued a stop-work order. Photographic evidence and eyewitness accounts confirm that the traditional institution intervened well before any developmental work commenced.

“Similar constituency market projects constructed by Senator Bamidele have been completed in Iyin and Igede Ekiti without any incident, and notably, no Mosque or religious structure was demolished in the process.

“The attempt to label Senator Bamidele’s developmental project as an act of religious hostility is deeply unfortunate and unfounded.

“After the commissioning ceremony, market shops were equitably allocated to both Muslim and Christian residents of Aramoko-Ekiti. The process was transparent and community-based, further debunking the allegation of any targeted religious exclusion.

“We urge MURIC and its leadership to refrain from divisive rhetoric and to verify their claims before issuing inflammatory statements.”