Court resumes hearing of two Chief Imams’ cases in Osun community
The Osun State High Court sitting in Iragbiji, the headquarters of Boripe Local Government Area of Osun State, on Tuesday resumed hearing on the case of the appointment of the Chief Imam of Inisha in Odo-Otin Local Government Area of the state, which has been pending since 2021.
The appointment of the Chief Imam led to a full-blown crisis in the town, resulting in a state of lawlessness as some residents took the law into their own hands, discarding decorum.
Trouble started after the appointment, as Muslims in the community had a sharp disagreement over the development, leading to division amongst them. A cross-section of them agreed with the appointment of Abdulazeez Tijani, while others rejected him and opted for Alhaji Abdulakeem Mahamadujamiu as their Chief Imam.
As a result, for years the town was without a Chief Imam until the state governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, and the League of Imams and Alfas in the state intervened in the crisis.
However, during the hearing of the case before Justice G.O. Lawal, counsel to the plaintiff, Mr Jimoh Adebimpe Abdulmumini, informed the court that two Chief Imams were turbaned in Inisha on a single day, a situation that led to a serious fracas in the town.
One of the witnesses, Jimoh Ibrahim, during cross-examination, told the court that one Chief Imam was turbaned in the morning, while another was turbaned in the evening at the same Central Mosque, Inisha.
According to him, the crisis erupted at the mosque as a result of the turbaning of the two Imams.
The presiding judge, Justice Lawal, has fixed further hearing on the case for 7th May 2025.
