Every second brings Nigerians closer to exercising their democratic right and shaping the future of our nation.
Exercise your democratic right responsibly, peacefully and lawfully.
A dispute over the leadership of a mosque in Enugu State has reportedly escalated, with police allegedly preventing the Chief Imam of Owerri Road Central Mosque, Imam Murtala Dahiru, and some Muslim leaders from attending Friday prayers.
The development is linked to a disagreement involving Alhaji Yusuf Sambo, a Special Assistant to Governor Peter Mbah on Special Duties. The Council of Ulamas and Imams in the state alleges that Sambo claimed to have removed Imam Dahiru from his position, a move the council says he has no authority to make.
The council further alleged that some of its members were arrested on September 30 after visiting the police and the Department of State Services over the matter. It said the affected individuals were subsequently made to sign an undertaking restricting them from attending Jumat prayers at the mosque until another Chief Imam is installed.
Through a civil rights organisation, the council has petitioned the National Security Adviser, calling for the restriction to be lifted. It argued that the police action interferes with the constitutional right to practise one’s religion and maintained that the dispute is a religious and civil matter.
As of the time of the report, there was no official response from the Enugu State Police Command, the DSS or the state government to the allegations. The council has meanwhile appealed for intervention to prevent the dispute from escalating further.
