Tag: Torch

Suspected arsonists yesterday torched a branch of Living Faith Church (aka Winners’ Chapel) in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

The church, located opposite the Aviation College, Ilorin, was reportedly set ablaze in the early hours.

The whereabouts of the security man attached to the church were not known.

The provincial pastor of the church, Olaniyan Timothy, accused a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Prof Ishaq Oloyede, of complicity in the incident.

But the former Vice-Chancellor denied the allegation.

Olaniyan claimed that the academic on December 3 threatened the church members to vacate the land because it belongs to the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN).

The cleric said because of the seriousness of Oloyede’s alleged threats on different occasions, the church sought the assistance of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Adewole Estate before the church could hold its service last Sunday.

He said: “On December 3, the academic came to the church premises and demanded to know what we were doing. He said the land was for the MSSN and threatened that if we failed to vacate the land, he would bring 1,000 Muslim youths to pull down the place. We were compiling our letter to the governor over the threat when he came again with about 20 youths. They just surveyed the place and left.

“About three days later, one man, whom we later got to know is a judge of the Sharia Court of Appeal, came with some people and said they were there on the directive of the Emir. He said the monarch wanted to resolve the matter. But we still wrote the governor. It is wrong to claim the land belongs to MSSN because we bought it legally and we have the documents. We bought the land in March this year…”

Prof Oloyede, who is also the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), said he was involved in resolving a misunderstanding between two parties on the land.

He explained that being the National Coordinator and Secretary of NIREC, he knew the implication of any conflict between both faith.

Prof Oloyede said: “What we had done was to involve many people on the issue and see how we could solve the problem without any rancour. In the process, I received insults from both sides. What would I gain by sponsoring a religious crisis at my age and with my status? By the time the police would have completed their investigation, they could see that even the ones behind it are also my enemies. I would not doubt it.”

The government has directed security agents to go after the suspected perpetrators.

In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant (Media and Communications) to the Governor, Dr. Muideen Akorede, the government urged the parties in the conflict to sheath their swords and allow the court to resolve the matter.

The statement reads: “The Kwara State Government has called on parties to a disputed plot of land at Ilorin Airport Road, Ilorin, not to take the law into their hands but refer the issue to the courts of law for adjudication. Similarly, the government has called on law enforcement agencies to bring the full weight of the law on any person or group found to have committed arson or otherwise destroyed public or private property under any guise.”