The Kwara State Police Command has warned adherents of the Islamic religion and traditional worshipers against circulating inciting videos on religious activities in Ilorin, the state capital.
The police gave the warning in a statement on Thursday by the Kwara Command’s spokesperson, Okasanmi Ajayi, after a peace meeting held by the Commissioner of Police, Mrs Ebunoluwarotimi Adelesi, with the adherents of Islamic religion and traditional religion worshipers.
Recall that there was a face-off between some Muslim groups and traditional religious worshipers over a planned celebration of Isese festival in Ilorin, as some Muslim groups maintained that Ilorin was an Islamic town.
The police, in the statement, said,
“There are lots of inciting videos circulating on different social media platforms from both religious bodies, threatening fire and brimstones if one thing or the order was not done, bringing into doubt the belief that Kwara State is a state of harmony.
“To douse the tension, the Commissioner of Police, Kwara State, Ebunoluwarotimi Adelesi, invited the two groups to a meeting where both parties were allowed to air their grievances and a middle-of-the-ground agreement was reached.”
Consequently, both parties were advised to maintain the peace while a lasting solution to the crisis was enabled.
The CP also advised the parties to warn their followers posting inciting videos on social media platforms to desist forthwith, noting that Kwara State is a state of harmony, and as such, all hands must be on deck to ensure that every effort must be made to make the state remain so.
The CP advised residents to exercise restraint in expressing grievances whenever they arise.
Meanwhile, the International Forum of Araba/Oluawo (Ajo awon Araba/Oluawo l’Agbaye), has called on President Bola Tinubu, the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazak, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Department of State Services, to wade into an alleged threat to life by some Muslims in Kwara State.
The group also called on governments at all levels to set up religious advisory councils that would comprise all three religions in the country.
The Isese members, who met in Ibadan under the leadership of Araba Agbaye Olu-lsese, His Eminence, Araba Awodotun Aworeni, were reacting to the development in Kwara State which led to the cancellation of an Isese festival scheduled to be held this month.
Speaking in Ibadan, the International Forum of Araba/Oluawo said,
“Despite the intimidations of our members, we have cautioned them not to take laws into their own hands. It is based on this that we are calling on President Tinubu and all security agencies in the country to urgently wade into this matter before it gets out of hand.”
