Some youths of Oke Ore, Ogun State, have closed down an Eid praying centre, stopping Muslims from observing the Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
The incident, which reportedly happened on Friday, saw youths at the Kajola bus stop, Iboro, Atan, in the state, claiming ownership of the centre.
The place was blocked with a palm tree branch and a table to deny people entry.
In a video on Facebook, a man who identified himself as Chief Folorunsho Akiola, when interviewed, said that the centre was shut down over a land ownership dispute.
“We did not allow people to observe the Eid prayers here today because Kajola people are trying to take ownership of this place from us, and we can’t allow that. We are the legitimate owners of this place,” Akiola claimed.
He added, “We have been on this issue for close to four years. This has nothing to do with the king or chiefs, but we, the youths in Oke Ore, organised this today. Both communities must sit down to resolve this matter.”
He further affirmed that the Eid prayer had always been observed at the location over the years, adding, “If Kajola people acknowledge us as the owners of this place, we would allow them to continue the Eid prayer here and even join them.”
Similarly, another woman who identified herself in the video as Abosede Akinola stressed, “Before now, the Oke Ore community did observe their prayer at a Grammar school and Kajola here. But Oke Ore owns this place.”
“We did observe the Eid prayer here together, but now we want the individual community to maintain their route. We can’t allow Kajola people to come here anymore. We want to use this place for Ogun worship,” she said.
