By Wole Adedeji, Ilorin
An Islamic scholar who lectures at a University in Kwara State may be in trouble over his alleged suspicious activities akin to aiding banditry and religious disturbances in communities around Ilorin, the Stare capital.
He was said to be dropping the name of a prominent traditional ruler in the State while carrying out the acts.
The scholar who introduces himself as a lecturer at the Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete allegedly went to Masankore, a predominantly Christian community in Moro Local Government Area of the State offering to help build a mosque for Muslims in the sleepy settlement.
Investigations by this reporter at Masankore revealed that the scholar went to the community about a year ago and introduced himself as the son of a man who was a friend to someone in the community some decades ago.
He told the Magaji (Village Head) of the Community, Elder Amos Adebayo of ECWA Church, that his late father who died about 30 years spoke glowingly about his old friend and the people of Masankore. He added that his late father instructed his children including him to establish good relationships with Masankore before his passage.
Elder Adebayo said in order not to offend his relations who are Muslims, he immediately welcomed the Islamic man and told him that he would be of good help to complete the small mosque under construction for their Muslim relations in Masankore.
The Village head said he subsequently sent for the Muslims who expressed joy in the offer but implored him to help complete the ongoing mosque project which the scholar refused, preferring instead to build a new mosque besides the ECWA Church in the town sending the first signal of troubles to come.
He added that they, however, refused such offer pointing out that it could lead to a religious conflict in the peaceful settlement later in life. He added that the Mallam agreed with them and they both settled for a location at the entrance to Masankore.
However, no sooner than the mosque was completed last October than the Scholar started singing a different song. He was accused of claiming in his first sermon at the commissioning of the multi-million Naira mosque that the land of Masankore belonged to his late father.
Not only that, he was said to announce on the powerful loud speaker mounted on the mosque that now that he had reclaimed his father’s land, all Christians and non-Muslims in Masankore should relocate from their land.
Elder Amos said their ancestors founded about 250 years ago where generations after them had since been dwelling.
He is reported to ever since the mosque commissioning, been bringing worshippers in their intimidating numbers from Ilorin every Friday in buses to intimidate and incite religious disharmony.
Another community leader told this reporter that last month an Alhaji from a neighbouring community knocked on his window at about 3am and told him to come and receive a lorry load of suspected fleeing bandits who were Fulanis covered with tarpaulin.
He said he quickly alerted Magaji Amos Adebayo who in turn alerted the whole Masankore community especially the youths who were enraged but were calmed down by the elders after Alhaji explained that he was instructed to bring the suspected bandits to Masankore.
Elder Amos reportedly rushed to Oke Oyi Police Station to report about the strange cargo of suspected bandits brought to his domain and the request to allow them settle in Masankore.
He told this reporter that barely two days after someone came to inform him that his attention was needed at the palace of His Majesty, the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Zulukaini Gambari, but that only the palace aides that attended to them.
He said the palace aides told them that since the mallam had built the mosque in their town, it meant their ancestral land had become his or better still, they should go back and divide their land into three: One part to themselves, one to the Islamic scholar and the third part for them as aides of the Emir.
Meanwhile, two Law Firms; O.S Afolabi & Co. as well as A.I Awolade & Co. had written a petition to the office of the Kwara State Commissioner of Police against the scholar on unfounded claims of Masankore land, illegal construction and acts of intimidation.