The Ekiti State chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Society (AMS), has accused former Governor Ayodele Fayose of grabbing its land to build a petrol station for his son.
It said the land, located at Odo Otu in Atikankan area of Ado-Ekiti, was acquired in 1940 during the reign of the late Ewi, Oba Anirare Aladesanmi.
The Muslim body in a peaceful protest to Governor Kayode Fayemi on Sunday described Fayose’s action as an act of oppression to Muslims in the state.
The protesters were seen with placards with inscriptions like “We Want Our Land Back”, “No Illegal Acquisition of Our Land”, “Enough of Marginalisation of Muslims in Ekiti” and “Government, Give Us Our Land.”
Addressing reporters on the development, president of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at in the state, Bashirudeen Alawode, said the organisation was surprised to see a new petrol station being built on the land earlier this year.
He said the Islamic movement built the first mosque on the land in the 1940s before the old structure in mould blocks was demolished.
The spokesman said the organisation immediately sent a letter to Fayose, and they reportedly got to know that the land was allegedly acquired by the ex-governor for his son to build a filling station on it.
He, therefore, urged Governor Fayemi to revoke the alleged unlawful allocation of the land to avert a possible crisis in the state.
Special assistant on public communications to the former governor, Lere Olayinka, however, dismissed the allegation, stating that no child of the former governor is building a filling station anywhere in the state.
