Chief Imam sues Soun of Ogbomoso, Council over alleged plot to sack him {See Documents}

Alhaji Taliat Yunus Olusina Ayilara, the Chief Imam of Ogbomoso, has filed a lawsuit against the Soun of Ogbomoso land, Oba Afolabi Ghandi Olaoye, and the Soun In-Council.

The suit, marked HOG/7/2024, is set to be decided at the Oyo State High Court, Ogbomoso Division.

The Chief Imam, who assumed his role in November 2021 under the reign of the past Soun, Oba Jimoh Oyewumi, alleged that the current monarch and the council are plotting his removal from office. The new Soun, Oba Afolabi Ghandi Olaoye, was installed in September 2023 by kingmakers led by the Are Ago of Ogbomoso, High Chief Sobalaje Otolorin.

In an affidavit sworn to at the High Court Registry on February 12, Ayilara contended that the defendants, despite their traditional titles, lack the authority to remove him as the Grand Chief Imam.

He asserted that his appointment by the Surah committee of the Muslim Community in Ogbomoso is by Islamic rules and not subject to the control of the traditional council.

 

Ayilara emphasised that the Grand Chief Imam position is not a chieftaincy or traditional title, and therefore, the traditional council has no jurisdiction over it. He urged the court to intervene and prevent any attempts to oust him from his role, highlighting that the appointment of Imams worldwide is governed by Islamic regulations.

“I say that the central mosque in Ogbomoso land and other mosques and the administration of the mosques is bestowed on the Muslim community headed by Imam, Chief Imam, or Grand Chief Imam which I am one. I know that the appointment of an Imam anywhere in the world is regulated by Islamic rules and tenets as it is not a chieftaincy or hereditary title.

“I also say that the right to appoint Grand Chief Imam of Ogbomoso land is the prerogative of Muslims in the Ogbomoso community and the appointment is done under Islamic rules. I know that based on settled Islamic rules, the Imam is appointed by the entire Muslim members of the community through a committee called the Surah Committee.

“The Surah Committee is a screening committee constituted by Muslim elders/leaders in the Muslim community to make decisions on Muslim affairs which include the appointment of Imams.

“Following the demise of the immediate past Grand Imam of Ogbomoso land, Sheikh Al Aman Yekeen Adegboyega Asafa, sometime in October 2021, the need to appoint a new Grand Chief Imam for Ogbomoso land arose and I was considered suitable for the position of Chief Grand Imam of Ogbomoso land after a screening exercise conducted by Surah Committee led by Alhaji Alimi Surajudeen, the Parakoyi Adini of Ogbomoso land.

“I was appointed the Grand Chief Imam of Ogbomoso land in November 2021 and since then, I have been discharging my responsibilities as Grand Chief Imam under Islamic rules and tenets. However, the defendants, particularly the 1″ Defendant who is a Christian, sometime in January 2024, a few months after his installation as the new paramount ruler of Ogbomoso land, threatened to remove me as the Grand Chief Imam of Ogbomoso land.

“That the threat of my removal became more pronounced when 1 approached the Honourable Court to restrain the Inspector General of Police and the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State from removing or suspending me as the Grand Chief Imam of Ogbomoso land and an interim order was granted to that effect”, Ayilara said.