By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
The Pan Yoruba Socio political organisation Afenifere has cautioned the Islamic preacher, Sheikh Dr Ahmed Gumi of allegedly plotting to inciting religious crisis in Yorubaland.
Afenifere raised the alarm in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi made available to journalists in Ibadan.
Comrade Ajayi stressed in the statement that ” for Gumi to declare any of the towns in Yorubaland as belonging to a religious faith is a way of inciting adherents of other faiths”.
” This is unacceptable. He should not bring that divisive tendency or proclamation to Yorubaland.The circumstance of their visit to Igboho and what they said while in the town are not only provocative and inciting but also a way of mocking the people of the area and the person of Sunday Adeyemo”, he said
Afenifere in the statement while emphasizing that as Nigerians, both Sheikh Gumi and Professor Usman have the right to visit anywhere in the country and are entitled to freely express themselves, it condemned their altercations while in Igboho.
” While in Igboho, Gumi showed some cows grazing near a school compound in the area and said that it showed that anybody should be free to graze anywhere without being molested. Afenifere took serious exception to Gumi or anyone else from outside Yorubaland to come and declare the area as belonging to any particular religion.”
He maintained ” as is well-known, Yorubas are quite liberal and tolerant of one another when it comes to religious faith, cultural practices and related social activities.”
Afenifere further expressed displeasure at the said description of Sunday Adeyemo Igboho as ‘the detaining in Benin who made Igboho popular’ by Dr Gumi and Usman in Igboho, saying it was a mockery of the self-determination agitator, too daring, provocative and uncouth. “
