Egba Muslim Leaders Go On Warpath Over Suspension Of Grand Chief Imam

Stakeholders in Egbaland Muslim community have gone on the warpath over the suspension of the Grand Chief Imam, Sheikh Sa’dallah Bamgbola and the counteraction taken to suspend those that had announced the cleric’s suspension.

Team@orientactualmags.com learned some Egba Muslim leaders led by former Military Administrator of Bauchi State,  retired Navy Captain Rasheed Raji , had on Monday announced the suspension of the Grand  Chief Imam  citing ‘high handedness, administrative exclusivity, misuse of funds and conflict of interest  with regard to his position as  Chief Imam and as member of another association’.

Octogenarian Sheikh Bamgbola had become the  Chief Imam  in July 2020 sequel to  the demise of the former Chief Imam of Egbaland, Alhaji Liadi Orunsolu.

At an extra ordinary meeting of the executive committee of the Egba Muslim Community which took place at Raji’s residence in  Abeokuta,  Ogun state capital,  Sheik Sa’dallah Bamgbola’s suspension  was announced while Olori Ratibi of Egbaland, Alhaji Daud Durojaye Afuwape was mandated to act as Chief Imam.

However, the principal Chief Imams  of the other three sections of Egbaland have since rejected Bamgbola’s  suspension  describing what the executive committee had done as an ‘embarrassment to Islamic religion and an act capable of causing crisis among Muslims in the state capital’.

They asserted that only the council of Islamic clerics  in Egbaland  has the power to appoint or suspend the Chief Imam.

The Imams are: the Chief Imam of Oke Ona, Alhaji Mulimudeen Nasirudeen, Chief Imam of Gbagura, Prof. Kamarudeen Balogun, and the Chief Imam of Owu, Alhaji Kehinde Suliamon.

Speaking on behalf of the Muslim community after the meeting attended by the three imams  at Kobiti Central mosque ,  Abeokuta on Tuesday, the Chief Imam of Gbagura, Prof. Kamarudeen Balogun, said Bamgbola’s  suspension  as Grand Chief Imam was null and void because it did not follow the stipulated process of appointment and removal of Imams in Egbaland land.

 ‘We, the Chief Imam of Oke Ona, Alhaji Mulimudeen Nasirudeen, Chief Imam of Gbagura, Prof Kamarudeen Balogun and the Chief Imam of Owu, Alhaji Kehinde Suliamon on behalf  of all Egba Muslims hereby pass a vote of confidence on the Chief Imam of Egbaland, Alhaji Alade Bamgbola as the only custodian of Islamic religion in Egbaland.

We unequivocally condemn the action of the selected Chiefs in Egbaland to suspend the Chief Imam of Egbaland without proper consultations with Imams of all the sections in Egbaland.

The selected Egba chiefs, led by Navy Captain Rasheed Raji has no power to suspend the Grand Chief Imam of Egbaland ,who was unanimously appointed by all custodians of Islamic religion in Egbaland.

The Chief Imam of Egbaland, Alhaji Bamgbola should with the support  of all the principal Imams in Egbaland and by virtue of the position that we have taken here, the Imams and Alfas  continue  to carry out all the spiritual functions of the Islamic region without any hindrance’ he said.

That was not all, the clerics also announced the suspension of the Egba Chiefs that had played a role in Bamgbola’s suspension.

‘We hereby affirm and confirm that those who have suspended the Chief Imam are hereby suspended themselves.

They are: Baba Adinni, Navy Captain Rasheed Raji, Chief Abdulquadri Orunsolu, Seriki Egba, Chief Ibrahim Abudulateef Ayoola, Baba Isale Egba, Alhaji Usman Akanbi and Bada Egbaland, Chief Sherifdeen Ogunrinola, the Olori Ratibi, Durojaiye Afuape.

Because they have done this without taking us along that is why we are dissociating ourselves from their decision and they are hereby suspended until further notice’  the   aggrieved imams said- Team@orientactualmags.com
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