‘We’re greatly disturbed’: Muslim alumni raise alarm over ‘illegal’ group in OAU

The Obafemi Awolowo University Muslim Graduates Association (UNIFEMGA) has said it is disturbed by the activities of an illegal Muslim group in the campus.

In a petition letter signed by its national president, Abdulwaheed Odeyimka, the group warned of the dire consequences of allowing such a group to operate freely on campus.

According to UNIFEMGA, the illegal group is led by AbdulRasheed Bakare, a 500-level pharmacy student.

Odeyinka noted that the group was carrying out its activities using the name of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), OAU campus.

“We are greatly disturbed by developments in the university in the last few weeks regarding a group of Muslim students trying to usurp the identity of MSSN-OAU,” he said.

“It was surprising to us that a similar successful Jihad Week programme authorised by the school authorities were carried out a week earlier by the registered MSSN on campus.

“We were told that the university authorities convened a meeting of OAUMC, MSSN-OAU and the leadership of the recalcitrant group where the authorities declared that the recalcitrant group should not go ahead with their planned IAP.

“To our dismay, we learnt that the recalcitrant group has held its planned programme for three consecutive days.

“Things went so bad that when the university locked the venue of their first activity in the programme the recalcitrant students forcibly broke doors to gain access. Thereafter, the university authorities have not dared to interrupt their activities.

“We are concerned that things could come to this ugly pass in our alma mater. As Muslims, we know that Islam does not condone violence and disrespect to constituted authority and both have been displayed by these recalcitrant students.

“We are concerned that unless the university immediately stops the IAP, more acts of indiscipline will be carried out with impunity by the group and similar ones.

“We demand that anyone involved in acts of violence and insubordination in the incident mentioned above should be dealt with summarily in accordance with the extant rules and regulations of the university. This is the only way we can demonstrate that OAU is a civilised community that is governed by rules and not whims,” the statement said.

G. O. Akinola, doctor and acting dean, had in September 2015, accused a splinter Muslim group of harbouring girls and carrying out irregular activities in mosques located in Fajuyi and Awolowo halls.