By Adeniyi Adedeji, Ilorin
The Council of Ulamas in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, has said the criteria giving by the Kwara State government for the re-opening of worship centres across the state, cannot be met and therefore requests that Jumaat Mosques in the Emirate be shut.
Secretary General of Council, Justice Oloruntoyin Mohammed (rtd), directed Muslim faithful to still observe Jumaat services as they were doing when religious places were shut because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mohammed has said, “It would be recalled that the Kwara State COVID-19 Committee had on Wednesday rolled out some conditions to be adopted ahead of the Friday June 5, 2020 worship centres re-opening.
“The conditions released by the state government are very difficult to adhere to based on our peculiarities.”
Arguing that limiting the age bracket of worshipers in the mosque to below 65 is at variance with the tradition of Ilorin, where Islamic clerics are of ages above 65 years and they are known to leaders of the faith; Justice Mohammed, therefore said the Kwara State government’s conditions given to open mosques was in line with the directives of the Federal Government’s Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, asking Muslim faithful to be law abiding.
