SARS Team Storms Mosque, Force-Stops A Planned Lecture

BY UTHMAN ORIYOMI ABDULLAHI

Muslim faithful who worship at the Adegbayi Central Mosque in Ibadan, are still trying to recover from the shock of an unexpected visitation yesterday.

They were barely done with Asri prayers, preparing for their daily lecture after each Solat when a team of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) stormed the mosque and began driving people away.

A competent source told The Eagle that the incident happened at about 4pm and took everyone by surprise.

He said the Imam of the Mosque, Alhaji Shafi Adegbayi was yet to come to terms why the men of the police acted that way.

“Nigeria is a Country that loves religious practices and our constitution provides for freedom of religion. And this prayer we are doing is a general prayer for this pandemic the world is facing currently. So why should the SARS come and scatter things”, he was reported as asking.

Apparently, the police worked on a tip off, arriving the venue unexpected, but some of the worshippers who did not want to be quoted said they were unaware of any lockdown as yet.

The source however added that there was no manhandling of the worshippers, but that the team took time to explain to the faithful why they must go home, pending when the federal government announces a lift on social distancing.

Mr Ibrahim Shittu a member of the congregation however told our correspondent there ought to have been provided at mosques throughout the country, face masks and sanitisers describing as absurd, the decision to hinder the faithful from their daily prayers.

The Imam explained further that, “We have abstained from two jumuah (Fridays ) prayer and it is against our religion that “a Muslim should refuse to observe three different jimuah prayers consecutively. By doing so he/she has become a non-Muslim”.

But in view of the order by the federal government, he advised Muslims to observe their solat in their various homes.